Beef market makes atypical movement

The beef market is in a seemingly paradoxical phase. While the beef market in the EU is slightly trending upwards, the meat market is weak. This is quite atypical, as declines at this time of year usually occur in both markets. In Northern Europe, there is some scarcity in the livestock market. In Germany, an increase in beef prices is noticeable. The VEZG rose by 5 cents per kilo across all categories. This is a remarkable result. At the end of 2025, the markets for beef cattle and dairy cattle diverged significantly. While the demand for beef cattle remained strong, a large supply of dairy cattle caused prices in the lower segments to be under pressure. It remains unclear whether the price quotes have also increased in the Netherlands. Due to the holidays, the Livestock & Logistics quotation is not available. Denmark has not yet followed the increase. The price of Danish Crown remained unchanged this week. The higher prices for dairy cattle are not limited to Germany. Although the official quotes do not yet show this, it is heard in the market that more is being paid for dairy cattle in Spain as well. In Italy, the market is stable, and the same applies to France. The stability is achieved by a 10 cent drop in prices for hindquarters, while the forequarter rises by 10 cents. This indicates that the supply of slaughter cows is not as abundant as it was leading up to Christmas. Meat prices lower The higher beef prices are atypical for this time of year. Generally, the market takes a pause after the holidays. Consumers view beef as a luxury product, and after the holidays, there is generally a cutback on food. This typically means that luxury cuts are not well procured, resulting in less favorable valuation. For this reason, slaughterhouses generally choose to lower prices a bit. The higher beef prices are felt in the market. Various participants indicate that the purchase price is increasing. In particular, beef cattle are reportedly expensive in the market. This creates several challenges, as the meat market does follow the usual consumption patterns. However, beef is proving to be much harder to sell. As usual at this time of year, consumers prefer chicken. In particular, luxury cuts are not selling well, as is heard in the market. But even the prices of trimmings have dropped significantly since the peak of summer. Although sales are not bad, prices are considerably lower than last year. Prices around €8 per kilo can no longer be found. Prices are now much closer to €7. Insiders in the market say that this decline is largely due to cheap exports from countries such as Austria. Imports from this country appear attractive, as cattle there are clearly cheaper than at the large beef markets.