After reaching peaks in the spring, the price of cattle has significantly dropped during the summer, settling around 4.50 €/kg live weight for heavy animals. This decline comes as young Italian cattle prices fell and fattening farmers became more cautious, particularly in a challenging forage environment. The market is now approaching autumn sales with new economic fundamentals. "The market did not burst, it slowed down," explains a livestock dealer regarding the drop in cattle prices recorded this summer. At the Moulins-Engilbert market, the price of 450 to 500 kg Charolais cattle fell from 5.25 €/kg to 4.05 €/kg over five weeks by July 21. This decline was driven by a mismatch between the prices of lean cattle (young animals not yet fully fattened) and finished cattle (ready for slaughter). In Modena, on the other side of the Alps, the price of young Charolais cattle dropped from 8 €/kg in February to 7 €/kg by mid-July. Italian fattening farmers attempted to pass this decline onto the price of lean cattle. "Fattening is a matter of calendar," continues the merchant. In October 2025, fattening farmers paid a high price for lean cattle, but by the following summer, the same animals were arriving at slaughterhouses as the price of Italian young cattle had dropped. This created a tighter economic equation, leading fattening farmers to slow down their purchases to avoid being unable to pass on rising costs. "The problem is that the market correction has not reached the consumer," explains an exporter. After two years of strong inflation, the sector is now facing a glass ceiling, with the caution of fattening farmers more pronounced due to the summer heat and poor forage conditions. French fattening farmers are also cautious, as they face a complex economic equation. "The commercial climate remains tense with food costs that will progress in the coming weeks and months," says Laurent Chupin, a market analyst for Acti Ouest. While demand for cattle remains, fattening farmers are unlikely to benefit from a post-season forage period to reduce costs. The current forage conditions favor heavy animals, which can better utilize available feed. "The domestic market trade faces an influx of goods with often heterogeneous quality due to the drought," summarizes Chupin. Prices struggle to hold for high-quality products, and sorting is strict for second-choice animals. The detection of the Shamonda Europe virus has further complicated the market, as the Tunisian market closed for sanitary reasons. "The only small market that remained with third countries has also decreased," notes the exporter. Exports of lean cattle to the Maghreb have become rare, with the Algerian market disrupted since the first cases of MHE (Mycobacterium haemophilum) were detected in France. Morocco has turned to South America, where French cattle struggle to compete. While third countries still serve as a safety valve, with Spanish beef finding an outlet in Algeria, the Algerian demand indirectly supports French cattle exports across the Pyrenees. After the summer correction, the market is approaching autumn on a new price level. At Moulins-Engilbert, the Charolais cattle for export (450 kg) are currently selling around 4.50 €/kg live weight. "It is 50 cents less than last spring for the same category of animals, but still 50 cents more expensive than this summer," says the dealer. This compromise is expected to persist in the coming weeks. "There is demand, but the spring cattle are there to supply the market, prices should hold," he adds.