The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) analysis of production data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) showed that UK sheep meat production for June 2025 rose by 700 tonnes (3%) compared to May 2024
UK sheep meat production reached 23,000 tonnes, representing an increase compared to June 2024 and increasing by 1,900 tonnes (9%).
AHDB said the year-on-year uplift was likely driven by continued higher carryover from 2024, as well as the arrival of new season lambs on the market.
Clean sheep slaughter for June 2025 was found to have risen by 42,000 head (5%) on the month, an increase of 75,300 head (9%) compared to June 2024. AHDB said this reflected seasonal trends, but also higher availability following “good lambing” and delayed carryover.
However, it stated that cull ewe slaughter had remained “subdued”, with year-to-date figures (January to June 2025) down by 6%, or 39,000 head. AHDB said this was “likely linked to a declining national flock”, with Defra reporting the breeding population at 13.1 million head in December 2024. This was a 5% year-on-year reduction.
AHDB suggested a later lambing season “may also be contributing to a seasonal delay in cull ewe throughput”, which it said was evidenced by a small uptick in year-on-year ewe and ram slaughter for June 2025 compared to June 2024 (up 2%).
The data showed that auction market reports had noted an influx of lighter, leaner lambs, which were “consistent with early marketing and producer attempts to hit optimal weight ranges amid robust prices”, albeit lower than those seen in 2024. AHDB stated that limited grass growth in parts of the UK “may also be contributing to the earlier marketing of lighter lambs”.
Beef production falls
Defra data found that UK beef production decreased by 8% from May 2025, with production down to 70,000 tonnes. Compared to June 2024, this figure showed a reduction of 5% (3,900 tonnes).
UK beef production has reportedly been below 2024’s level for every month of 2025 so far, with the year-to-date figure now 17,000 tonnes, down 4% on last year at 445,000 tonnes (January to June 2025).
AHDB highlighted that prime cattle slaughter for June 2025 was down versus May 2025, decreasing by 15,000 head (8%), which it said continued to show the “tightness in UK supply forecast for 2025”. It commented that this had influenced cattle that maintained an “elevated position” when compared to the previous year, and said that compared to June 2024, production was down 8,000 tonnes (5%).
Average prime cattle carcase weights for June were 2.5kg below the previous month and down 1.9kg against June 2024, while cull cow slaughter stood at 41,300 head for June, which AHDB said was “largely steady” from May figures. This continued to be lower year-on-year, down 3,000 head on the figure recorded in June 2024.
It was likely that below average feed costs and favourable milk prices had “continued to influence retention decisions within the national dairy herd, limiting the number of cows being sent for slaughter” according to AHDB which confirmed that a smaller national herd will be limiting supply.
