June 13, 2022

EU beef production dropped 0.8% in Q1 2022

The European Union produced 1.64 million tonnes of beef in the first quarter of 2022, down only 0.8% compared to 2021 and in line with the EU short-term forecast, according to the United Kingdom's Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).

However, production was mixed across the continent. Some nations, such as Spain and Ireland, saw strong year-on-year growth. However, this did not quite make up for the continued decline seen in Germany and France, AHDB analyst Freya Shuttleworth wrote.

Meanwhile, the  EU's slaughter numbers for the period stood at 5.58 million head, a small change (+11,000 head) from the same time last year.

Carcass weights are reportedly lighter than last year with forecasts expecting them to continue to lower due to higher input prices for production encouraging earlier slaughtering.

- AHDB