# Watch – Meat may get cheaper as El Niño looms

> South Africa is entering an El Niño drought season after a record 17.6-million-tonne maize harvest, against annual needs of about 12 million tonnes. The discussion says foot-and-mouth disease has restricted beef farmers’ access to export markets, while vegetables and meat may remain affordable and starch prices could rise slightly.

- Date: 2026-11-11 · published 2026-11-11T19:40:16.630Z
- Category: weather · region South Africa · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/94065-watch-meat-may-get-cheaper-as-el-nino-looms
- Commodities: [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

The large maize crop adds to domestic feed availability and may ease pressure on feed costs, while disease-related export barriers can keep more beef on the local market and weigh on cattle prices.

## Read by commodity

- CORN: bearish ▼
- LCATTLE: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2021-05-13 | [El Niño/La Niña Update (May 2021)](https://feedsoft.ai/events/46985-el-nino-la-nina-update-may-2021.md) | -7.7% | -2.2% |
| CORN | 2019-05-27 | [WMO El Niño/La Niña Update (May 2019) - World \| ReliefWeb](https://feedsoft.ai/events/59008-wmo-el-nino-la-nina-update-may-2019-world-reliefweb.md) | +3.4% | +6.5% |
| CORN | 2023-06-01 | [El Nino may hammer Asian farms with dry weather, but shower American growers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/35407-el-nino-may-hammer-asian-farms-with-dry-weather-but-shower-american-growers.md) | -2.2% | -3.2% |
| CORN | 2023-04-21 | [As El Niño Makes Its Grand Return, Here's What It Tells Us About Summer Weather and Corn Yields - AgWeb](https://feedsoft.ai/events/13281-as-el-nino-makes-its-grand-return-here-s-what-it-tells-us-about-summer-weather.md) | -1.6% | -9.8% |
| CORN | 2026-01-08 | [2026 Weather Outlook: La Niña’s Quick Exit, El Niño’s Potential and the Signals Farmers Should Watch - AgWeb](https://feedsoft.ai/events/20956-2026-weather-outlook-la-nina-s-quick-exit-el-nino-s-potential-and-the-signals.md) | -3.4% | -2.0% |
| LCATTLE | 2026-06-03 | [Grain Market Pain Continues on Weather: Cattle Fall as NWS Nears - AgWeb](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10649-grain-market-pain-continues-on-weather-cattle-fall-as-nws-nears-agweb.md) | +0.0% | -0.7% |
| LCATTLE | 2018-05-30 | [What’s the most disruptive influence in the cattle market? Weather](https://feedsoft.ai/events/65154-what-s-the-most-disruptive-influence-in-the-cattle-market-weather.md) | +2.2% | +0.7% |
| LCATTLE | 2019-07-20 | [Extreme heat wave hits US farmers already suffering from flooding](https://feedsoft.ai/events/57923-extreme-heat-wave-hits-us-farmers-already-suffering-from-flooding.md) | +0.3% | -4.1% |

## Sources

- dailymaverick.co.za: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/video/2026-11-11-watch-meat-may-get-cheaper-as-el-nino-hits/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.