The number of cows in the EU contracted by 10% in the last 10 years, due to the continuous restructuring of the dairy herd (in the EU, about 2 cows in 3 are milked). The EU beef production decreased at the same rate. French beef production has fared better over the long term, but it underwent a sharp decrease in the last 2 years. This drop has affected the profitability of both beef farmers and processors. In addition, French processors have also had to suffer from the “social dumping” used by their competitors in Germany, Poland or Ireland. However, positive signals from the market are starting to appear.