The pros and cons of Ireland’s historic dominance of Britain’s beef import market were laid bare in RaboResearch’s recent quarterly beef report for the second quarter of 2026.

The report confirmed that beef prices have strengthened right across the globe since 2025 – apart from Ireland, where they rose and collapsed – on the back of tighter cattle supplies.

This trend is likely to continue in 2026, with global beef supplies forecast to fall by 2.2% and prices remaining high as a consequence.

However, a surge in cattle numbers in both Australia and New Zealand is likely to have dashed Irish hopes of prices rebounding in Britain.

Indeed, the increased presence of cheap Antipodean beef on British supermarket shelves could force a radical rethink of Ireland’s beef export strategy.