EU: Beef production and consumption continue to fall

The dairy herd should decline progressively, while the suckler cow herd is set to decrease to 9.9 million head by 2032 (-636 000 head or -6 %), due to low profitability and increasing environmental concerns. The overall decline hides opposing developments in different EU countries. Coupled income support and certain eco-schemes under the new CAP, together with a relatively good price outlook will only dampen this trend, not reverse it. The average slaughter weight will continue its slightly upward trend thanks to advanced technologies (e.g. management of germinal products) and a larger share of beef-type animals in the productive herd, while a shift to organic and more extensive production systems may partially counteract this trend. After COVID-19, EU beef consumption continued decreasing in 2022 because of low availability and high prices. It should follow this downward trend during the next ten years. By 2032, per capita beef consumption may drop from 10.3 to 9.5 kg (-7.8 %). ...