Ireland’s share of UK beef imports fell by 16 percentage points in February to 11,945 tonnes which was 62% of the UK’s total fresh and frozen beef imports for the month.
In February last year, the UK imported 14,718 tonnes of Irish beef which represented 78% of their total beef imports that month. What is particularly notable is that while the UK imported less beef from Ireland, their overall imports were 263 tonnes higher in February this year than last year, and as Figure 1 shows all the major suppliers apart from Poland and Ireland significantly increased their market share.
EU countries squeezed
Looking at Figure 2 we can see that over the past decade, between 70% and 80% of UK beef imports have come from Ireland with the exception of 2025. Last year the Irish share fell to 67% with most of the decline in the final quarter of the year and for the month of December it actually dipped fractionally below 60%. This trend has continued into the first two months of 2026.
It isn’t just Irish beef that is losing market share of UK beef imports. Other EU countries that supplied most of what Ireland didn’t previously, have also lost out. Only Poland remains as a top five supplier in February 2026 and they have fallen from supplying 9% or 1,647 tonnes of UK beef imports in February last year to 5% or 945 tonnes in the same month this year.
New Zealand the major winner
With Ireland and other EU countries losing market share at a time when overall UK imports are higher, there has to be winners. Looking again at Figure 1, it is clear that New Zealand has enjoyed spectacular growth in its share of the UK imported beef market with a more than ten-fold volume increase year on year.
Obviously the zero tariff quota secured by New Zealand in their post-Brexit trade deal with the UK gives them an increased competitive advantage in the UK market.
They also benefit from the long-established presence in the UK imported sheep meat market given the similarity of the distribution channels. New Zealand beef secured a further boost late last year with the Dawn Meats investment in Alliance. This link gives the Alliance factories access to the Dawn customer base in the UK in addition to those they had previously on their own account.
UK is one of Australia’s options
Australia also have a tariff-free beef and sheep meat quota for the UK. While the growth of their market share hasn’t been as big as that of New Zealand, they still more than doubled their volume of UK beef imports in February compared with last year. Their main export market for beef is the US where they have a 460,000 tonne tariff-free quota. Also in 2025 they picked up much of the market share previously held by the US in China and this trend has continued into 2026.
Unlike New Zealand, Australia didn’t have a significant sheep meat quota prior to the trade agreement that they too agreed with the UK post Brexit. That means that they don’t benefit from established sheep meat distribution channels nor do any of their major exporting companies have a formal link with a major UK beef processor.
Brazil also increases its share
What distinguishes Brazil from Australia and New Zealand is that they managed to increase their share of beef imports by more than three fold without the benefit of a trade deal beyond their share of a Hilton Quota. What also distinguishes Brazil is that not only do they export twice as much beef as Australia, the second largest beef exporter, they increased their overall export volumes by 20% in 2025 and by a further 18% in the first quarter of 2026. That meant they had to grow export markets and the UK as the world’s fifth largest beef importer, is an obvious target.
Sheep meat imports
Figure 3 shows the extent to which Australia and New Zealand dominated UK sheep meat imports in February 2026. Looking at the data for a single month with sheep meat is somewhat misleading given that the first two months of the year are peak season for southern hemisphere sheep producing countries and northern hemisphere countries are left selling what hoggets remain from last year’s lamb crop. That said, Ireland’s share is particularly low as exports have fallen to the lowest levels in a decade and factories are prioritising EU markets ahead of the UK.
Also notable is that Australia has recorded a large increase whereas New Zealand’s share is in line with previous year. This is because there has been effectively no restriction on New Zealand sheep meat imports as they haven’t filled their quota in over a decade while Australia only secured a significant tariff free quota in May 2023.
Comment – Competition for Irish beef in UK is here to stay
The latest UK beef import data for February continues a trend that began in the final quarter of 2025. Then it was suggested that at least part of the reason was a drop in the overall supply of Irish beef.
The national kill fell by 200,000 head last year with most of this happening in the final months. Less supply combined with strong demand from EU countries meant that Irish exporters had more market options than they had beef to supply.
Cattle numbers so far in 2026 are down in the first quarter of this year compared with last year, but unlike the final quarter of 2025, factories were complaining in the early weeks of this year that they were building up stocks because of weak demand. This message was delivered bluntly to farmers during the first quarter of this year with quotes falling on a weekly basis up until recently. If the reports that Irish factories were struggling to sell beef at a time when the customer that traditionally bought almost half of total exports was increasing their overall import volumes, then it is clear that competition is being felt.
It has to be emphasised that care has to be taken with analysing one month’s data in isolation but a trend seems to be emerging from late last year and continuing into 2026.
When March data is added, it will be possible to make a quarterly comparison but, in the meantime, it is clear that UK importers have options beyond Irish and indeed EU beef which they have been exercising.
SHARING OPTIONS