The Kantar Worldpanel UK consumption figures for beef and lamb, published in this week’s Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) bulletin show that UK consumers spent the same on beef in the three months ending 1 March as they did in the same period a year earlier. However because of a small fall in retail beef prices, from £7.94 average to £7.85, purchasers actually finished up with a little more beef in their shopping bag, 2% more.

Looking behind the overall data, roasting joints performed well with volume sales up 4.7% from year earlier levels, with sales of stewing steak also recording an increase in volume sales by 2% and mince sales also increased slightly. Burgers performed well with 11% growth in volume sales as did beef as an ingredient for pies.

The picture isn’t as healthy for lamb consumption. Total UK expenditure on lamb during the twelve weeks ending 1 March 2015 totalled £151.1m, an 8.7% decline from the corresponding period a year earlier. This drop in the total value of sales has been driven by a 9.2 per cent decline in total volume sales year on year to 18,182 tonnes in the 12 weeks ending 1 March 2015.

This has been explained by less availability of New Zealand lamb this year, usually a cheaper alternative to UK and Irish production. The decline in consumer consumption has been ongoing across Europe for several years and it is the fact that lamb production has declined even faster in France and Spain that sustains a market for UK and Irish sheep producers. Such is the concern about lamb consumption in France that France, the UK, and Ireland have combined to leverage EU funds for a joint consumer promotion campaign in France.