Australia's Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has briefed stakeholders on the EU Deforestation Regulation, which is now confirmed to take effect from 31 December 2026 after two consecutive 12-month delays. Australian beef and lamb exporters shipping product from October 2026 onwards must comply with the new rules, with geolocation of supply properties being the primary requirement for Australia's "low-risk" country classification.
Agricultural commodity futures posted sharply divergent results in the week ending 25 September 2026, with November soybeans gaining 15½ cents to $13.19 per bushel and November feeder cattle surging nearly $14, while wheat contracts fell as much as 27¾ cents. China trade developments, harvest-season supply pressure, and commodity-specific fundamentals drove the split outcomes, according to a weekly market analysis published by Ag Bull on 26 September 2026.
A European Commission proposal to lower maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides not authorised in the EU could restrict market access for African agricultural exporters, including Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Uganda. A Joint Research Centre study published in August examined the potential economic impact across 235 commodities and 86 exporting countries. Kenya has raised the issue at the WTO, warning of shipment rejections and income losses for smallholder farmers. The proposal remains under consideration by the European Parliament and Council.
New Zealand dairy cooperative Fonterra has announced an incremental $1 billion investment over the next three years in the South Island to expand its protein manufacturing network and improve environmental performance, as the company reported a doubling of operating profit in fiscal year 2026.
China's 2026/27 soybean output is projected at roughly 20.95 million tons, marginally above last year, but the market is increasingly split between high-protein, food-grade beans commanding firm premiums and ordinary, lower-protein supplies facing harvest-period price pressure. Wet and cool weather in key northeastern provinces around late September is complicating fieldwork and drying logistics, adding quality and timing risk to an otherwise stable volume outlook.
The second day of the Compound Livestock Feed Manufacturers Association (CLFMA) of India's 67th National Symposium in Mumbai brought together policymakers, industry leaders, scientists and farmers to address feed security, artificial intelligence, veterinary capacity and government-industry collaboration in India's animal-agriculture sector.
China's National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly released a package of 50 national food safety standards and amendment sheets on 22 September 2026, including new analytical methods for mycotoxins and contaminants relevant to feed and food supply chains. The standards were formally issued on 18 August 2026 with implementation dates running from February to August 2027.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on 25 September 2026 that a bilateral Board of Trade agreement with China would protect selected agricultural exports from future tariff retaliation, with full details expected on 28 September. The trade truce has also been extended through January 2027, but an unresolved Section 301 overcapacity investigation could complicate the arrangement.
Corn, soybean, and wheat futures faced sharp selling pressure on 25 September 2026, with all three grain markets breaking down technically amid disappointing outcomes from the Trump-Xi summit, a potential Iran-U.S. deal that pressured crude oil, and rising U.S. Treasury yields. USDA's Hogs & Pigs report added a bearish tone to cattle markets while offering a modestly supportive signal for lean hog futures.
A strengthening El Niño event, combined with fertilizer shortages, geopolitical tensions, and elevated energy costs, could push global food and feed commodity prices up by 14–16%, according to procurement consultancy Beroe. Key feed ingredients including corn, vegetable oils, and sugar face varying levels of supply and price risk, with the full market impact potentially not materialising until 2028.
A peer-reviewed analysis of 2,479 RASFF mycotoxin notifications from 2020 to 2024 by University of Córdoba researchers finds that aflatoxins drove 84% of recorded cases, with nuts, seeds, and products of non-EU origin accounting for the largest shares. The study cautions against reading notification counts as direct measures of contamination prevalence, but highlights persistent risk in a narrow set of commodity groups relevant to feed and food ingredient buyers.
Corn futures pulled back toward technical support on September 23, 2026, erasing Monday's gains, while a USDA daily export sale to Mexico, a high-stakes Xi-Trump summit in Washington, a proposed U.S. diesel export ban, and a projected 70% surge in global biofuel output by 2030 combined to create a complex backdrop for feed-grain and oilseed markets.
