Weekly cattle and sheep market wrap – 30 October 2026

Deadweight prices cover Great Britain (GB) for the week ending 24 October. Liveweight prices cover England and Wales (E&W) for the week ending 25 October.

• Finished cattle prices steady to firmer, with steers, heifers and cows gaining around 4p/kg.
• Finished lamb prices broadly stable, with the deadweight NSL SQQ edging 0.5p/kg higher.
• Prime cattle slaughter continues its seasonal uplift, while lamb slaughter remained 4% below year-ago levels.

A mixed picture appeared for deadweight cattle prices in the latest reporting week, with overall averages steady-to-firming as Christmas kills march on.

Steers and heifers gained nearly 4p overall to average 650p/kg and 648p/kg respectively, with gains across all regions in GB. Young bulls meanwhile stood-on overall at 634p/kg. Figure 1 shows the progression of overall average steer prices in GB by reporting region.

Figure 1: Evolution of weekly overall average deadweight steer prices by region 2025 2026

Source: AHDB

Estimated prime cattle slaughter continued to show weekly growth but at a slower rate, with numbers up marginally (400 head) to 32,600 head. This was 2% above the same week a year ago.

Cows averaged 479p/kg in the latest week, up nearly 4p on the week prior but down 45p on the year.

Cow kill also maintained its seasonal uplift, with numbers across GB up by 400 head to 10,500 head. However, numbers remain tighter year-on-year, back by 8% for the latest reporting week.

Sheep prices held relatively steady in the latest week, with the overall deadweight average SQQ up just half a penny to 720p/kg.

Auction trade was similar, with the E&W liveweight SQQ down by 1p to 335p/kg. Numbers dropped slightly (-3,900 head) from the week prior to just under 39,000 head.

Estimated total lamb slaughter in GB ticked down slightly on the week to total 216,300 head, still down 4% (8,000 head) on the same week a year ago.

Store lamb prices in E&W remain very strong, as throughput retracted sharply in the latest week. A reported average of £115.50/head was nearly £13 above the same week a year ago, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Comparison of average store lamb prices in England & Wales 2024 – 2026

Source: Livestock Auctioneers Association

Cull ewe values moved back slightly in the latest week but remain strong historically, averaging £128.70/head, up £21.30 year-on-year.

Rungis wholesale lamb carcase prices have steadied on reportedly softer demand amid school holidays.

© Livestock Auctioneers Association Limited 2026. All rights reserved.

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