Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) data shows that the UK has imported 14,982 tonnes of its 20,940-tonne 2026 beef quota from New Zealand, up to the end of July.
It means that after seven months of the year, almost three quarters of the year’s quota had been used.
The quota is part of the trade deal made by the UK Government with New Zealand, which came into effect in May 2023. In year one (2023), the beef tariff-free quota was 12,000 tonnes, and this quota increases by 2,980 tonnes annually until year 10, after which there is unlimited access subject to a safeguard which lasts until year 15.
The fact that the quota is filling up at least partly explains a drop in beef imports from New Zealand for the months of July. In July 2026, 1,217 tonnes of beef were imported, almost 200 tonnes down from what was imported in the same month last year.
However, by the end of July in 2025, the UK had imported just 4,943 tonnes of New Zealand beef, one third of the amount imported in the same period this year.
Irish share
Over the past year, the Irish share of the UK imported-beef market has dropped from between 75% and 80% to between 60% and 65%. In July, 12,874 tonnes, or 63.6%, of UK beef imports came from Ireland, out of the 20,236 tonnes total.
The second largest supplier of UK beef imports in July was Australia, with 2,470 tonnes, up from 1,703 tonnes in July last year. That brings its total for the year so far, to the end of July, to 12,864 tonnes, a substantial increase on the 5,705 tonnes it supplied to the end of July in 2025.
Poland was the fourth largest supplier of UK beef imports in July, though its volume was down by more than 200 tonnes compared with July last year at 1,111 tonnes.
In the year to date, UK beef imports from Poland were 7,064 tonnes, down from 11,453 tonnes in the first seven months of 2025.
Brazil supplied 985 tonnes of UK beef imports in July, down from 1,325 tonnes in the previous July, though the total for the year to date is 7,671 tonnes, a figure well ahead of the 5,903 tonnes imported from Brazil in the same period last year.
Overall UK beef imports in July totalled 20,236 tonnes, higher than the 19,051 tonnes imported in the same period last year. For the year to date, the total is 142,176 tonnes, up from 139,734 tonnes in the same period in 2025.
Sheep meat
The UK imported 9,056 tonnes of sheep meat in July, which is marginally lower than the 9,118 tonnes imported in the same period last year.
New Zealand dominates the supply of UK sheep-meat imports, accounting for 5,767 tonnes of imports in July, with Australia in second place, supplying 2,561 tonnes.
Ireland is now a relatively small supplier of UK sheep-meat imports, accounting for just 562 tonnes, though this is up from the 370 tonnes supplied in July last year.
For the year to date, the UK has imported a total of 45,785 tonnes of sheep meat, slightly higher than the 45,286 tonnes imported in the same month last year.
New Zealand has supplied 24,916 tonnes, with 15,521 coming from Australia and 4,008 tonnes coming from Ireland.
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Ireland’s share of UK beef imports falls in first half of 2026