Beef & Veal

  • EU has self sufficient production
  • Bovine Herd of 75 million heads
  • 55% produced by FR, DE, IT
  • 6.9 million tonnes produced in 2021
Beef and veal belong to the products covered by the Common Organisation of the markets in agricultural products which provides market instruments to stabilize the sector when needed. The EU provides farmers with income support (direct payments) and interventions to stabilise the markets (Policy Instruments).

In 2021, the EU had a cattle farm of around 75 million head and a total production of around 6.7 million tonnes of beef, with close to 100% self-sufficiency.

France, Germany, Italy are today the main producing Member States. These four Member States represent together already about 58% of the EU total production.


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What EU is doing to support farmers and the market?

As with all agricultural products, the EU intervenes:
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  1. with income support for farmers, based on the size in hectares and with special measures.
  2. with market measures,  to structure and safeguard the stability of market prices, rules in trade with third countries and stability for producers and processors.​

To establish interventions, the European Commission complies with the EU regulations, carries out continuous surveys on production and prices, carries out sector studies and maintains a constant dialogue with producers through their Associations.

Income support for Beef farmers

Farmers generally receive income support based on the size of their farm in hectares. There is a basic payment, one for sustainable farming methods ("greening") and one payment for young farmers. Other payments focus on specific sectors or types of agriculture, i.e. to help small and medium-sized farms, young farmers and those operating in areas with natural constraints and / or sectors in difficulty.

Market measures

The objectives of the EU Policy Instruments are to structure and safeguard the stability of market prices in this sector, to facilitate the marketing of products and to establish the rules in the trade with third countries, providing stability for the European producers and processors.

Market, Prices, Outlook

The European Meat Market Observatory, launched on 15 July 2016, provides a single web interface with a wealth of raw data for stakeholders in the pigmeat/beef & veal sector.  The EU Observatory has an Expert Group which meets at least 3 times a year. Summaries available inside Reports

Dialogue, Committees, Studies

The European Commission also monitors the functioning of the market with sector studies, forecasts, with committee meetings for constant dialogue with producers.