From record to record the prices of meat Beef in Germany (Europe’s largest market) -at the same time that in Greece there is already an increase of up to 20% compared to last year.
Compared to the summer of 2023, the increase of 50% beef price in Germany, well above the general inflation rate, a Handelsblatt report said. Consumer prices in butchers and supermarkets are often higher, with prices per kilo of 40 to more than 50 euros for good quality beef steaks.
“This development can be explained by the reduction of cattle flocks. They are reduced by two, three, four percent each year. Many farms are closed and often there are no successors » Says Tim Koch, head of the meat industry at Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI) in Bonn.
According to figures from the Federal Statistical Service, in May 2015, German farmers still retained 12.6 million cattle. In May this year, that number had been reduced to just 10.3 million. This inevitably means that fewer cattle are led to slaughter. While domestic meat is by no means the only meat consumed in Germany, the number of cattle is also reduced in other European countries. “Demand for beef has also been reduced in recent years, but the supply of slaughter animals has become more rare.”said the Tim Koch.
Halloween fever exacerbated the situation
Increasing prices for beef and dairy products has been temporarily deteriorated by an animal disease – harmless to humans – passing through the livestock farms from the autumn of 2023: the catarrh disease of cache. The pathogen affects not only cattle but also sheep and goats. From May 2024 until the end of April 2025, the Federal Institute of Friedrich Loeffler recorded 17,854 infections of bluish disease and the climax has now passed.
“Overall, we record significantly fewer cases this year, as many animals were already infected last year,” says one spokesman. “Natural contamination and a strong willingness to vaccinate in all federal states have significantly reduced the number of potentially vulnerable animals.”
Halloween disease is transmitted by the mosquitoes, a family of very small mosquitoes worldwide. These are usually more active in September and October. “We can wait for some new cases by the end of October, but the number of cases will not even be intellectual close to last year’s level.”says the biologist.
No sign of reversal of the voltage
However, the decrease in infections from bluet fever does not equate to the end of increasing prices. Fundamental elements have not changed: fewer farmers raise less cattle. The profession of cattle farming seems to have become so unattractive that even high prices do not change anything.
“At present there are no signs of reversal to cattle farming. Even if one would expect that some farms would take advantage of the current favorable market situation before they gave up, the structural change continues unabated. “, Says a spokesman for the German Beef and Meat Association.
For farmers who have not abandoned cattle farming, high producer prices are naturally encouraging.
However, many farmers are worried that the EU’s Mercosur Free Trade Agreement with South America – which has not yet been ratified – could re -reduce prices in this country. Brazil is the largest beef producer in the world with over 210 million animals, and there are also huge herds of cattle in Uruguay, Argentina and Chile.
“Mercosur’s agreement is likely to have a lesser impact on the European meat market than many assume. In renegotiation, additional import volumes were significantly reduced, so that in the case of beef, it only corresponds to a very small volume, to the low -digit percentage of South America’s annual production. “he said The German Association of Beef Meat.
High producer prices do not compensate for farmers’ frustration
But why do cattle breeders give up when producer prices for both meat and milk are high? The Bavarian Union of Farmers states various reasons: Important bureaucratic burdens and demands, high investment costs and “social pressure”. The latter refers, inter alia, to the years of criticism of conventional agriculture by environmental activists and animal rights activists, who has disappointed many farmers.
High producer prices do not necessarily mean that farmers will now make huge profits. “Especially in the thickening of bulls, it is obvious that while prices have increased, so has the cost. Bull calves will cost significantly more in 2025 than last year, at times even twice as much »he says A BBV representative.
In addition, the market for agricultural products has always been characterized by intense fluctuations. For example, just a few years ago, dairy producers in particular suffered from low prices that didn’t even cover their costs.
For the time being, however, there are minimal indications of a refreshed phase of low prices. “I do not believe that beef prices will fall to the level we had a year and a half ago. We will settle at a higher level ‘, Says Koch meat expert in Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft.