Research from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has found that while UK lamb consumption has been “steadily declining”, the meat is considered a “primary protein source” by the Muslim community.
An AHDB report has assessed the attitudes and shopping behaviours of halal meat consumers. It is aimed at helping the industry gain a more comprehensive understanding of products these consumers buy, how and where they shop, what’s important to them when they buy meat, the importance of Muslim festivals and key opportunities for the halal meat sector.
While Muslims make up around 6.5% of the UK population, AHDB estimates that they account for 30% of lamb sales in terms of volume and farmers could benefit from finding out more about the halal sector and its requirements.
In the UK, as a whole, lamb consumption has been in steady decline during the last 20 years. This is driven by comparatively high prices relative to other proteins, such as chicken. However, for the Muslim community, lamb remains a primary protein source.
In 2016, Muslims in the UK were estimated to have spent £4.64 billion on halal food and beverages, and by 2023, AHDB and NIQ estimate that £823 million was spent on halal meat alone.
Lamb and mutton consumption is very important to halal consumers; 80% consume lamb weekly and 64% consume mutton weekly, compared with only 6% of the general UK population eating lamb.
Awal Fuseini, Senior Halal Sector Manager at AHDB and 2025 Nuffield Scholar, commented: “AHDB is shining a spotlight on the development of the UK’s halal meat sector. We believe it presents many opportunities for farmers and processors to diversify their livestock production to cater for the growing demand for halal beef and lamb in the UK.
“Halal meat consumers are a very important component of domestic demand. For the industry, the report is about trying to obtain a detailed picture of their behaviour to help both us and our levy payers identify what’s important to halal consumers to better meet their needs.”
Vanessa Adamson, Retail & Consumer Insight Manager at AHDB, said: “AHDB regularly undertakes retail and consumer insight analysis on shoppers. We have not carried out detailed work on the halal sector since the pre-Covid period and a lot has changed in the intervening years due to influences like Covid and the cost-of-living crisis.
“The report is aimed at farmers, processors and retailers - essentially all of those in the supply chain who could benefit from learning more about the growing halal market. We hope our research can help drive sales in the sector.”
To read the full 2024 halal report, click here.
