Beef consumption has slumped by 30% across the whole European Union, since the BSE crisis struck in the autumn, according to the European Commission. Falls have been particularly steep in Germany, although there has been no fall in demand in Sweden, Finland and Britain. The Commission estimates that there will be a recovery later this year, but is still estimating that consumption will fall by around 10% this year, (around 750 000 tonnes). Brussels also predicts that 300,000-350,000 tonnes of beef produced for export will remain unsold. It claims that since the start of the crisis, in real terms, the price of young bulls has fallen by 11.1% and cows by 7.2%.
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By Keith Nuthall, just-food.com correspondent
