Weekly cattle and sheep market wrap – 27 August 2026

Deadweight prices cover Great Britain (GB) for the week ending 22 August. Liveweight prices cover England and Wales (E&W) for the week ending 23 August.

• The all prime cattle price was up 1p, whilst the deadweight NSL SQQ sheep price was down 14p on last week, with slaughter numbers down across both species.
• Average cull ewe prices fell £7.60/ head week-on-week in the live markets, reflecting a typical seasonal easing of prices.
• The latest retail data shows volumes down but spend up year-on-year for both beef and lamb purchases.

The deadweight all prime cattle price was up 1p in the week ending 22 August, finishing at 609p/kg. This price is down by 32p year-on-year as the price continues to recover steadily from the lows it saw in May.

In the categories, we saw the overall steer price up 1p/kg and the average heifer price level week on week, finishing at 611p/kg and 609p/kg respectively. This brings the steer price down 32p year-on-year, and the heifer price back 31p/kg. In the young bull category, the price remained the same to finish the week at 598p/kg, down 36p on the year.

Prime cattle estimated slaughter has contracted by 800 head week-on-week, finishing the week ending 22 August at 31,900 head. This is up 100 head compared to the same week of last year.

The overall average cow price dropped 13p on the week, finishing the week ending 22 August at 457p/kg. This price is down 55p year-on-year.

Meanwhile, cow slaughter dropped 200 head week-on-week, totalling 9,200 head. This is up 600 head year-on-year and 400 head on the 5-year average. The year-on-year increase in the number of cows coming forward continues as pressure on farm mounts from tight grazing stocks and a lack of forage.

In the latest retail data for the 12 weeks to 9 August 2026, beef saw a volume decline of 2% year on year, with spend still up 3.3%, reflecting inflated beef prices at shelf edge. Mince has seen the largest fall, by volume, down 7.8% year-on-year, whereas beef steaks have seen 13.4% volume increases in the latest period, with strong promotions easing price relative to previous months.

Strong demand for beef steaks and processed beef come with warmer weather, prompting barbequing, as well as consumers eating more luxurious meals at home rather than eating out or ordering in.

The deadweight NSL SQQ price continued its decline in the week ending 22 August, falling 14p on the week before to 710p/kg. This is down 25p year-on-year yet continues to be strong compared to the 5-year average, up 103p.

Estimated kill of clean sheep fell this week, down 13,300 head to 195,100 head. This number is 14,500 head lower year-on-year and is likely due to the limited forage availability, weighing on slaughter throughput.

In the live market, the NSL SQQ price dropped 10p week-on-week to finish week ending 23 August at 314p/kg, down 4p year-on-year. Numbers of NSLs sold through the markets were down week-on-week, after a turbulent few weeks, finishing at 42,200 head.

Cull ewe prices fell £7.60/head week-on-week, finishing at £120/head. The number of cull ewes sold were also down this week to 32,600 head. This is back 7% year-on-year.

In the latest retail data for the 12 weeks to 9 August 2026, lamb saw a 6% volume decline with spend up 2.4% due to higher average prices. Lamb leg roasting saw the biggest drop in volume sales, falling 30.1% year-on-year. However, lamb steak volumes increased by 6.7% and lamb stewing cuts rose by 24.2% year-on-year, possibly reflecting the warmer, barbequing weather.

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