Beef Trade Booms in 2025: Prices Surge Amid Tight Supplies

The beef trade has started 2025 with a significant surge, as finished prices have soared at both abattoirs and in the live ring. Over the past week, deadweight prices have increased, with several processors offering base prices between 560p/kg and 570p/kg.

Some larger beef finishers have even managed to negotiate prices closer to 580p/kg.

This recent boom in trade has been attributed to tight supplies on both sides of the Irish Sea. Stuart Vile, the ruminant manager at livestock marketing group Meadow Quality, confirmed that beef is in high demand, with prices rising by 10p/kg to 15p/kg since Christmas. He noted that the demand is coming from both export and domestic markets, with empty abattoir “chillers” needing to be filled.

Vile also mentioned that there are discussions about abattoirs trying to attract farmers with forward contracts for May and June, with rumours of prices ranging from 600p/kg to 620p/kg.

According to Defra figures, UK prime cattle slaughterings were down 5.3% year-on-year in November, and more recent industry estimates suggest that numbers remain tight.