Weekly cattle and sheep market wrap – 10 September 2026

Deadweight prices cover Great Britain (GB) for the week ending 5 September. Liveweight prices cover England and Wales (E&W) for the week ending 6 September.

• Prime cattle price movements were mixed in the latest week. Heifer values edged higher while steer and young bull prices eased slightly.
• Deadweight lamb prices recovered marginally week-on-week, pushing further ahead of last years prices.
• The August bank holiday weekend saw the number of both cattle and sheep coming through to slaughter drop week-on-week with a shorter kill period.
• For the year-to-date, slaughter of prime and cull animals are down across both species.

The GB all-prime deadweight cattle price eased by 0.3p/kg in the latest week to average 611p/kg, 27p/kg below year-earlier levels. Price movements were mixed across categories, with steer prices softening slightly while the overall heifer average increased by just under 1p/kg to 612p/kg.

Deadweight young bull prices fell by just over 3p/kg on the week to 598p/kg, taking the category back below the 600p/kg threshold. Prices were 34p/kg lower than the same week last year.

Estimated GB prime cattle slaughter totalled 28,500 head, down 3,100 head (10%) on the week. The reduction largely reflects the shorter slaughter week following the August Bank Holiday. Year-to-date prime cattle slaughter stands at just over 1.1 million head, marginally down compared with the same period in 2025.

The GB cull cow deadweight price continued to weaken but at a slower rate than previous weeks, falling by 3p/kg to 446p/kg. Despite recent pressure on values, throughput remains relatively tight, with weekly cull cattle slaughter estimated at 7,500 head, down 600 head on the week. Year-to-date cull cow slaughter is estimated at 302,000 head, 1% below year-earlier levels. Cull cow prices remain 66p/kg below those recorded a year ago.

The GB deadweight New Season Lamb (NSL) SQQ recovered slightly in the latest week, gaining 3p/kg to average 708p/kg. This leaves the price 36p/kg above the same week last year.

Estimated clean sheep slaughter across GB fell by 11,300 head week-on-week to 182,300 head, with throughput affected by the August Bank Holiday. Year-to-date clean sheep slaughter is estimated at 7.2 million head, nearly 4% below 2025 levels.

In the live market, the E&W NSL SQQ eased by 2p/kg to 325p/kg, although prices remain 26p/kg higher year-on-year, according to data from the Livestock Auctioneers Association. Average cull ewe values strengthened, rising £9/head on the week to £129.10/head, up £19/head compared with the same week last year.

NSL market throughput increased by 2,500 head week-on-week to 42,400 head across E&W. However, entries were 6,700 head below year-earlier levels. Cull ewe throughput rose by 1,600 head to just under 31,700 head but numbers were 15% below the same week in 2025.

Looking at year-to-date trends, cull ewe marketings are running 6% behind last year. New season lamb throughput is down 9%. When combined with carry-over old season lambs, total prime sheep marketings through the live rings are 7% lower than the same period last year.

© Livestock Auctioneers Association Limited 2026. All rights reserved.

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