According to her, it is difficult to say exactly how much more expensive it will be, because it depends on several factors. According to market agency DCA Market Intelligence, which regularly conducts research into price developments, the price of beef has risen by more than 38 percent in one year. This concerns wholesale prices of average quality beef cattle. In the past five years the increase was almost 125 percent.
Butter and cream
Matthijs Bremer, researcher at DCA, attributes this to the decreased supply, while demand remains strong. “The price of animal food is clearly rising faster than plant-based food, with meat and eggs in the lead. But products such as butter and cream have also become considerably more expensive,” says Bremer. He predicts that meat will remain significantly more expensive compared to a few years ago and that the difference will remain clearly greater compared to other product groups.
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The Central Organization for the Meat Sector (COV) expects a “significant” price increase for beef in 2026. “In the best case, we hope for stability, but that seems an illusion. Due to the nitrogen discussion and buyout schemes, more and more farmers are quitting, so the supply is shrinking,” says a spokesperson.
Pork
Consumers have been choosing cheaper pork or chicken instead of beef for some time now. Due to this shift, Lemsom from KNS expects that the prices of pork and chicken meat will also rise. “People make different choices. They opt for a lower weight of beef, more mixed products or a day without meat,” says the director.
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COV emphasizes that Dutch meat is among the world’s best in the field of food safety and sustainability. “When you import more meat from abroad, there is a risk that you bring in products of lower quality with a higher CO2 footprint. That cannot be the intention.” According to the organization, the level of animal welfare is also one of the highest worldwide. “Another reason to preserve livestock farming in the Netherlands.”