Slaughter cattle prices find a floor, for now

The price for slaughter cattle has found a bottom for now. For the second time since prices came under pressure in week 11, prices have fallen. The market is a lot more stable but it is still too early for guarantees that the declines are over. Since week 11, cattle prices have fallen sharply, but for the second time since then, prices have remained stable for a second time in a row. This means that at least for now there is a bottom in the cattle price. It has become clear that cattle prices have passed their absolute peak. A trend stands out immediately. The lower qualities have seen a clearly stronger decline than the higher ones. The price of meat of U quality fell by 7.5% to €6.56 per kilo. Cattle of O quality fell by 10.2% to €5.38. Sausage of the first sausage quality even lost 16.2% and reached a level of €3.70 per kilo. For now, the market is calm. Whether the bottom has been reached is still unclear. As a rule, lower demand for beef in the summer months causes a decline in cattle prices. In general, that decline takes place around early July. Whether that decline should be expected on top of the sharp drop of recent times cannot be said. Traders indicate that it is very difficult to predict. On the one hand, there has not been a very strong market this spring. Normally, spring is a peak period. Due to the nice weather, demand for meat usually increases during this period. This is driven by an impulse from the horeca. Terraces open, increasing restaurant capacity. In addition, there is often plenty of barbecuing in May. This year, however, the weather has so far been very unfavorable for the meat markets. It was often dry but also cold. As a result, terrace visits shifted more to the afternoon. Especially in Northern Europe, the beef market mainly depends on the evening. So there was no increased demand and thus no higher price. However, this does not mean that the cattle market will no longer see reductions. In the coming weeks, many Northern Europeans are going on holiday, and that almost always leads to a falling price. Still, there is no guarantee that slaughter cattle prices will continue to fall in the coming weeks. The market is also anticipating summer and it could well be that the weak momentum of spring has already cleared the market out. Supply remains substantial Finally, supply remains fairly substantial. In week 23, the slaughter figure was 4.8% above the level of the year before at 10,545 cattle. The week before, the slaughter figure was even 13% higher than in 2025, but it is important to realize that the slaughter figure is somewhat lower every year in that period. In absolute terms, the impact is smaller in other words. The total number of slaughterings in that week was 8,743 cattle.