Cattle entered Argentina's main livestock market after a two-week absence, as ranchers ended a strike that had left butchers' counters bare in a country where steak is a staple, traders said.

Beef supplies in supermarkets and butchers started returning to normal at the weekend, Alberto Williams, vice president of the Butchers' Association, was quoted as telling daily newspaper Clarin.

At Buenos Aires Liniers market, more animals than normal were on sale on Thursday - normally a slow day. Far more business was now expected.

"Today, animals started to enter the market again and buyers were very keen after the shortages caused by the strike," one cattle broker said.

After a three-week strike over a tax hike on soy exports, farmers on Wednesday called off the protest for 30 days to negotiate with the government.

The government of Argentina, a leading global beef exporter, has limited beef sales repeatedly in recent years to control domestic prices.

Earlier last week, amid widespread beef shortages, meat industry sources said customs officials were halting beef shipments at port. The government agency said exports had not been suspended.