Irish beef: under pressure but well positioned

According to Mark, it is a challenging market at the moment, coming off the back of a year of real highs in terms of price and market demand across most markets during 2025. He explains: “The rate of price increase in Ireland outperformed the UK and the rest of Europe. The UK, in particular, remains a key market for Irish beef – it is 60 per cent self-sufficient and the rest is predominantly coming from Ireland. European production decreased last year with depressing cattle supplies in the UK and Europe, and prices were up more than 30 per cent.
“It would be hard to maintain this level of growth and we have also seen a reaction from the consumer against that, with resistance to higher prices and also evidence of consumers looking for alternative protein sources, such as chicken or pork. We did see the inflation impact, with retailers and foodservice customers passing on those higher prices gradually to the consumer so things have slowed up somewhat.”

Mercosur

Commenting on the Mercosur trade deal, Mark says: “We are already seeing import pressure with the UK and EU imports from Australia and New Zealand and the Mercosur countries will fill some of the gaps we have been filling. So, Mercosur will put us under some pressure. For example, Brazilian beef will sell for below two-thirds of Irish prices, but as EU production has dropped by more than 700,000 tonnes in the last eight years, it would be opening up for more imports anyway, so there might not be such a huge impact considering steady consumer demand for beef.
“For Ireland, maintaining our high standards will be key. Our quality assurance schemes and Origin Green initiatives prove our credentials when it comes to sustainability and welfare issues. This will not only lead to efficiencies in productions over time, but will ensure that Irish beef is positioned as a high quality, trusted source of protein. When I am talking to customers and I can demonstrate and prove how we can meet these higher standards it is always a very positive thing. We can show customers that we can support them in their sustainability objectives and our consumers trust Irish beef. When the market is difficult, sometimes value or price will become the number-one purchasing motivation, but sustainability and animal welfare continue to be important, no matter what. We work with retailers on promotions, emphasising quality and sustainability. Lidl’s successful Irish beef promotions across Europe is a good example.” 

Local sourcing

Earlier this year, a leading Dutch supermarket, Jumbo, confirmed that it was implementing a new supply chain policy centred on local sourcing and that it intends to slowly remove Irish beef from its shelves. Mark explains what this means for Ireland: “We have seen this coming for a while: retailers and blue-chip companies stating their commitment to their locality. But, in Jumbo’s case, for example, they flagged this with us a number of years ago, so we have been aware of this strategy, and we are working with them on this. The Netherlands is under particular pressure in terms of cattle numbers so when it comes to filling gaps for those retailers we need to ensure that Ireland is the preferred import option. Countries supporting local is nothing strange and we don’t want to challenge domestic supply: we just need to make sure that Irish beef continues to be the preferred option for high quality and sustainable imports. Currently, we are still supplying Jumbo and I would imagine we will continue to do so in the future. Production is projected this year across Europe to be down 3.5 per cent.”

Latest consumer research

Bord Bia conducts quarterly research monitoring shopper behaviour in the meat category, which examines the context behind shoppers’ decisions, rather than the value and volume impacts that are tracked by other surveys and data sources. Markets covered include Ireland, Britain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium. For the first quarter of 2026, beef showed real resilience despite sustained high prices. “After year-on-year declines noted throughout 2025, shoppers’ consideration and purchase of beef have stabilised and even improved on Q1 2025 levels, which was the key period for inflation-related impacts,” says Mark. He adds: “Long-term demand remains strong, with future consumption intent unchanged. Meanwhile, positive perceptions (taste, health) continue to anchor the category despite inflation. In all markets, except Ireland and Italy, we have seen steady growth in the last four quarters of expensiveness as a barrier, but some declines last quarter in the UK and Belgium. Expensiveness is still the top-of-mind barrier and continues to increase. Encouragingly, however, more shoppers, especially younger cohorts, now believe beef is ‘worth paying more for’. This younger cohort is driven by convenience and shifting health perceptions.” He continues: “Mince and burgers are critical entry points, offering affordability and convenience, especially for younger and lower-income shoppers. It is evident that there is a strong positive association with a growing number of people agreeing that beef ‘is a great source of protein’ and ‘is a relatively healthy protein’.”
Commenting on consumer trends identified, Mark notes that health and nutrition are emerging as key drivers, especially in the UK. Younger shoppers are increasing category engagement due to gym/fitness focus and protein prioritisation and purchase intent remains strong with the majority planning to maintain or increase beef consumption despite current substitution behaviour.
“While price sensitivity and protein substitution continues, as consumers adjust to inflation, declining European production is creating demand and opportunity for growth,” says Mark. He adds: “We need to leverage Ireland’s unique grass-fed, quality assured offering to maintain our status in many markets as a preferred supplier.”