Marks & Spencer is cutting the price of selected British beef, lamb and pork products by up to 26 per cent, moving family staples including diced beef, lamb mince and pork sausages into its Remarksable Value range.
The retailer said the cuts are an investment by M&S and that farmers will continue to be paid the same price through its long-term supply partnerships. It said the products themselves will not change.
According to M&S, a 500g pack of Diced British Beef falls to £6.00 from £7.00, a 400g pack of British Lamb Mince drops to £5.60 from £6.20, and British Pork Sausages fall to £2.00 from £2.60.
Remarksable Value is the M&S range of everyday staples, which the company says are benchmarked against competitor prices. M&S described the move as part of a wider investment in what it calls trusted value, which it said is intended to make more shopping list essentials affordable without compromising on quality, sourcing standards or animal welfare.
M&S said it sources only 100 per cent British beef and lamb, and that it sources 100 per cent British across beef, lamb, chicken, pork and eggs.
The retailer has 10-year partnerships with the meat processors ABP and Dunbia, and a long-term partnership with Cranswick for sausages. M&S announced the ABP and Dunbia contracts in April as a £2.1bn investment in British lamb and beef, saying at the time that the two processors together work with 3,500 M&S Select Farmers.
M&S said the partnerships support consistent quality, high animal welfare standards and long-term investment across British farming. It set the price cuts against what it described as growing competition for British farmers from imported meat.
The company’s Plan A for Farming strategy runs to 2030 and focuses on British sourcing, sustainability, high standards and resilience. M&S said the aim is to help farmers feel confident about the future, grow their businesses and invest.
Alex Freudmann, managing director of M&S Food, said: “British farmers play a vital role in producing the high-quality food our customers expect, and we’re committed to backing them for the long term. That’s why we’re investing to make our British beef, lamb and pork more affordable for customers while continuing to support farmers through the long-term partnerships that provide confidence to invest in their businesses.”
He added: “At a time when British farmers are facing increasing pressure, we’re proud to champion British produce, support high standards of welfare and quality, and help more customers choose British meat at M&S.”
John Egerton, an M&S Select Beef farmer, said: “As farmers, we need confidence to invest in our businesses for the long term. M&S’s commitment to British farming, backed by long-term partnerships and investment, helps provide that certainty. At a time when British farmers are facing increasing competition from imported products, it’s great to see more customers being encouraged to choose high-quality British meat while knowing the farmers behind it continue to be supported.”
Lidl GB said on 7 October that it had put £400m into price cuts and promotions on more than 1,200 products so far this year, including on fresh meat and fish.
Pricing between retailers and producers has also been a source of tension this year. In January, around 32 farmers used tractors to block three supermarket depots in Northamptonshire, two run by Tesco and one by Sainsbury’s, in a protest over farmgate prices and rising production costs.
M&S chief executive Stuart Machin called food the group’s standout performer last year. In its full-year results for the 52 weeks to 28 March 2026, issued on 20 May, M&S reported food sales up 7 per cent and said its food market share had risen to 4.1 per cent. The company said food volume growth had been underpinned by investment in value, quality, innovation and long-term supplier commitments.
M&S said the latest price cuts form part of its wider strategy to make it easier for customers to do more of their weekly shop at M&S.
