Beef production in the UK this year will fall by 3.5% to 880,000 tons, and livestock will continue to decline, according to a subdivision of the Council for Development of Agriculture and Horticulture in the United Kingdom (AHDB Beef and Lamb).

It is predicted that the number of registered calves will fall again after falling by 48,000 goals last year. This is expected to affect beef production since June.

Starting the year with a price of 10 pence per kilogram, which is lower than in 2018, the seasonal spring drop in beef prices was exacerbated by Brexit uncertainty and slaughter growth, especially heifers, which caused a sharp drop in prices from early February to mid-March.

Although prices have risen since then, they still haven’t caught up with last year’s levels, but they have finally reached the five-year average.

While supply is declining, so is domestic demand. Consumers spent £ 536 million for fresh and frozen beef in the first quarter of this year, which is 5% less than in January-March 2018.

It was expected that this year the weight of carcasses will fall due to the slaughter of more females and an increase in the share in the dairy herd. Nevertheless, he grew a little, because last year's lack of feed led to an increase in feed concentrate.

In the longer term, carcass weight is expected to decrease due to the higher contribution of the dairy herd, combined with an increase in the proportion of cattle.