Weekly cattle and sheep market wrap – 23 January 2026

Deadweight prices cover GB for the week ending 17 January. Liveweight prices cover England and Wales for the week ending 18 January.

Key points

• The GB all-prime deadweight cattle price showed slight downward movement in the week ending 17 January, down 3p to reach 642p/kg
• The overall deadweight cow measure averaged 502p/kg, up 6p on the week and 94p on the year. Cull cow estimated slaughterings reached 10,600 head, a slight increase of 400 head from the previous week, but down 200 head from the same week in 2025
• Deadweight sheep prices showed more muted movement, with the GB old season lamb SQQ easing by 7p to average 714p/kg in the week ending 17 January

Cattle

The GB all-prime deadweight cattle price showed slight downward movement in the week ending 17 January, down 3p to reach 642p/kg. The overall steer price averaged 643p/kg, a decrease of 4p from the previous week, while heifers fell by 1p to average 642p/kg. Overall young bulls saw a decrease of 9p to average 623p/kg.

Estimated GB prime cattle slaughter sat at 32,000 head for the week ending 17 January, higher on the week and marginally up the year.

The overall deadweight cow measure hit 502p/kg, up 6p on the week and 94p on the year. Cull cow estimated slaughterings reached 10,600 head, a slight increase of 400 head from the previous week, but down 200 head from the same week in 2025. Falling dairy markets remain a key watch point going forward.

Retail demand for beef in the 12 weeks ending 28 December 2025 showed spend increased 9.8%, driven by average price rises of 17.5%, resulting in volume declines of 6.6% (Worldpanel by Numerator UK). Primary beef volumes saw an 8.5% decrease, with all cuts in decline. Total processed beef saw a 5.6% decline in volume purchased year-on-year.

Sheep

Deadweight sheep prices showed more muted movement, with the GB old season lamb SQQ easing by 7p to average 714p/kg in the week ending 17 January.

Estimated clean sheep slaughter saw a 9,800 head increase to reach 216,500 head. This was 13,600 head higher than the same week in 2025 and 5,000 head higher than the five-year average.

Read about upcoming changes to AHDB’s deadweight sheep price reporting

The liveweight OSL SQQ for England and Wales fell by 16p/kg on the week, to 327p/kg in the week ending 18 January. OSL throughputs totalled 51,000 head, down 4,500 from the previous week. Store sheep prices averaged £108/head, with numbers up on the week but below a year ago.

Lamb retail performance was positive for the 12 weeks ending 28 December. Volumes purchased rose by 3.8% year-on-year, accompanied by a 5.4% increase in spend (Worldpanel by Numerator UK). Average prices paid increased by 1.6%. Total primary lamb cuts saw an 8.3% volume increase during the 12-week period. Lamb roasting saw the largest increase of 12.2% (+1,250 tonnes). This was driven by an increase in popularity due to Christmas.

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