UK Slaughter Data Ends 2025 on Mixed Note
Monthly UK Slaughter Statistics Show Mixed End to 2025
Latest official figures show a mixed picture for UK meat production at the end of 2025. Higher beef and pigmeat output offset this, but there are continued declines in sheep and prime cattle slaughter.
Data published by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) indicates that beef and pigmeat production rose year on year. This growth was supported by heavier average carcase weights and steady processor demand during the Christmas period.
However, prime cattle and clean sheep slaughter numbers fell, reinforcing evidence of tightening livestock availability across the UK. The decline in sheep throughput in particular continues to underpin firm lamb prices moving into early 2026.
The figures highlight a key structural trend across the red meat sector. Production volumes are increasingly being maintained through carcase weight gains rather than higher kill numbers. Therefore, this raises longer-term questions around supply resilience while herd and flock sizes remain under pressure.
Source: UK Government / Defra | 15 January 2026
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