Beef sales in Great Britain have been strong this spring, despite the Covid-19 restrictions and the almost complete closure of the food-service sector.

The uptake has resulted from more people cooking at home, the Livestock and Meat Commission has reported.

Kantar statistics for the 12 week period ending 17 May 2020 have indicated strong growth in both the value and volume of retail beef sales in Great Britain.

Strong promotional activity from red meat levy bodies across the UK combined with some promotional pricing in some of the major retailers have also contributed to this uplift in

beef sales.

During the 12 week period ending 17 May 2020 retail beef sales in Great Britain were valued at £1,156 million, a significant increase of 23.1 per cent from the corresponding period in 2019. This increase in the total value of sales was driven primarily by growth in the volume of beef sales, up by 22.4 per cent during the 2020 period when compared to 2019 levels.

All the major beef cuts have recorded volume and value growth in terms of retail sales in Great Britain during the 12 week period ending 17 May 2020 as outlined in Figure 2.

Primary beef sales through retailers in Great Britain were valued at £599.1 million during the 12 weeks ending 17 May 2020, up by 26.5 per cent or £125.5 million from the same period in 2019.

During the same period in 2020 the volume of primary beef sales totalled 80,500 tonnes, up 29 per cent from 2019 levels. The increase in the overall value of primary beef sales was driven by the volume growth in sales, with the average retail price back by two per cent to £7.44/kg.

Primary beef sales include roasting joints, stewing beef, steaks and mince.

Mince continues to account for more than half of all primary beef sales in the retail sector in Great Britain in terms of volume sales with 46,900 tonnes of mince sold during the 12 weeks ending 17 May 2020. This was a 36.3 per cent increase from the corresponding period in 2019. The average retail price of mince was £5.36/kg during the 2020 period, back 1.3 per cent from the corresponding period in 2019.

There was also a strong growth in sales of beef stewing pieces, albeit from a small base. Volume sales totalled 8,700 tonnes during the 2020 period, up by more than a third from the same period in 2019. The value of sales increased by a similar proportion to total £69.6 million in the 2020 period.

The average retail price was almost unchanged at £7.99/kg.

Retail sales of steaks have also performed better in the 2020 period with volume sales increasing by 24 per cent to total 13,800 tonnes. Reports have indicated increased promotional activity on steak cuts in particular in several of the big retailers which has contributed to this increase. Overall retail spend on steak cuts increased by 21.2 per cent to £184.5 million however the average price was back by

2.3 per cent to £13.37/kg in the 2020 period.

There has also been volume and value growth in sales of beef roasts, although not to the same extent as the other primary cuts. During the 12 weeks ending 17 May 2020 volume sales of beef roasting joints totalled 10,700 tonnes, up 5.5 per cent from 2019 levels. This increase combined with a 6.2 per cent rise in the average retail price to £8.61/kg contributed to the 12 per cent uplift in the overall value of beef roast sales to £92.2 million.

Sales of processed beef have also performed well with the value and volume of sales up by 24.3 and 25.1 per cent respectively during the 12 weeks ending 17 May 2020. Sales of burgers/grills recorded the strongest growth in value terms, up by 43.6 per cent to £114.1 million during the 2020 period. This was driven by the 41.4 per cent increase in the volume of retail sales and a 1.7 per cent increase in

the average retail to £5.99/kg.