Weekly cattle and sheep market wrap – 16 October 2026

Deadweight prices cover Great Britain (GB) for the week ending 10 October. Liveweight prices cover England and Wales (E&W) for the week ending 11 October.

• GB prime cattle prices rose across all categories in the week ending 10 October as consistently lower throughputs held against a strong demand for cattle supplies for Christmas, supporting values at farmgate.
• Cow prices also grew in the latest week, seemingly continuing their recovery following a dip in the late summer.
• The NSL SQQ fell away in the latest week as kill numbers lifted above year ago levels, however the price remained almost 60p above the same week in 2025.

Prime cattle prices grew across all categories in the latest week’s data. In the week ending 10 October, the all prime average deadweight cattle measure sat at 643p/kg. This was only 1p below the same week in last year, as prices neared year ago levels for the first time since March.  

Strong growth was seen across all cattle types, with overall averages for steers and heifers lifting by 8p on the week and young bulls prices up by 7p on average.

Estimated slaughter of prime cattle grew by 1,000 head on the week to total 31,000 head. This weekly growth was in line with normal seasonal patterns as Christmas procurement ramps up. However, numbers remain well below both last year’s levels and the five year average.

Cow prices have also seen growth, up for the fifth consecutive week this week, following some price pressure through the latter part of the summer. In the week ending 10 October, the deadweight cow price averaged 475p/kg, up 4p on the week prior.

Cow slaughter in the latest week was estimated at 10,000 head, growing seasonally on the week, but again sitting behind year ago levels.

Market reports suggest that demand for cattle at farmgate is being driven by desires to secure supply for Christmas which, combined with historically tight cattle numbers, is supporting price growth at this time.

This week AHDB have released our updated beef market outlook, which outlines expectations for supply, trade and consumption for the remainder of 2026 and the full year of 2027. Cattle supplies are expected to remain a key market driver in the coming months, with watchpoints around consumer demand and changes to imports.

Farmgate lamb prices have eased in the latest week, as numbers forward to slaughter grew. The GB deadweight NSL SQQ lost 8p on the week to land at 724p/kg in the latest reporting week.

Price movements were similar in the live trade, with the liveweight NSL SQQ back 5p on the week to 332p/kg and the average cull ewe price losing £5/head to land at £131/head.  © Livestock Auctioneers Association Limited 2026. All rights reserved

Estimated slaughter of clean sheep totalled 223,000 head, up 17,000 head on the week prior, with higher numbers likely pressuring prices.

AHDB have also released our updated lamb market outlook, which outlines expectations for supply, trade and consumption for the remainder of 2026 and the full year of 2027. Bluetongue remains a clear downside risk to sheep production forecasts and the updated outlook also includes a production impact scenario to reflect this.

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