The high prices beef farmers in Canada are currently enjoying have fuelled expectations that the country’s cattle numbers will swell to cater for the increasing global demand for beef.

Unlike Ireland, Canada has yet to see any dip from record 2025 beef prices, leaving ranchers there hopeful that the longer-term demand forecast for beef will underpin their returns in the years ahead.

“We are still facing our record prices,” Canadian Cattle Association chief government and international affairs officer Jennifer Babcock told the Irish Farmers Journal.

"We know that this is cyclical and things will shift, but, as of now, we haven't had the decrease yet and we are expecting growth in the sector. Right now, the price signals are there.”

Babcock said that strong processor prices have fed back to farm-level decision-making, as Canada’s “cow-calf” suckler farms and feedlots are both seeing decent market prices.

Money being made

“I think there's money being made with both the feedlot and the cow-calf producers right now, but the cow-calf producers definitely have seen that increase,” she explained.

“Then the long-term economic growth opportunities are there for the sector as beef demand is continuing to rise around the world."

Canadian farmers have battled severe drought over recent summers, which pushed cattle numbers into decline.

2025 herd growth was described by Babcock as “minimal, but it still was growth”, that is seen by the wider sector as creating the launchpad for further expansion.

Strong North American beef prices don’t look to be dampening consumer demand, Babcock said, putting this firmness down to beef’s taste, sustainability and nutrition credentials in the region.

Exports on the agenda

Canada exports roughly half of its beef sector’s output, a majority of which heads to the US either on hoof or hook.

Babcock expects that prime minister Mark Carney will see success in his bid to diversify market access to allow Canadian processors maximise the returns on each cut off carcases.

Growth is expected in southeastern Asia, as Canada’s tariffs in South Korea are winding down, market access to China has been restored and a trade deal is in the works with Thailand.

“Some of these are more longer term than short term, because right now we have more demand than we have supply. So, on our end, we need to grow our herd,” she stated.

“And with all this demand coming in from various countries, that is giving the signal to producers that they can go and grow the herd because there is the demand that you can meet.”

“The global demand for our high-quality beef is on the rise and I think that is really exciting because the last 10 years, there's been a lot of uncertainty in the industry.

“But when we see that global demand, I think it's an exciting time for beef producers around the world - Canada and Ireland both have the natural advantages that we can work on with our competitiveness.”