World Farming Agriculture and Commodity news - 31 Augustus 2026

: International News; 31 August 2026; Hits: 327; Rating:

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Here are the main highlights for some of Australia’s key commodities and economic influences this month. The full report covers the developments to watch in the upcoming weeks.

About one-fifth of EU crop value depends on irrigated production in water-scarce regions, creating exposure to risks related to tighter (irrigation) water governance.Around one-fifth of total EU crop value is generated in irrigated systems located in water-scarce regions, mainly in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Portugal. With the EU Water Resilience Strategy (2025) signaling stronger policy attention on water scarcity, this production is increasingly exposed to transition risks linked to tighter governance of irrigation water. In this context, we examine how the potential implementation of tradable freshwater rights could affect crop competitiveness and EU markets, focusing on crop groups representing around 90% of total EU crop value.

Crop competitiveness: Crops vary in their economic water productivity, ranging from roughly EUR 1 gross revenue per cubic meter of irrigation water for grains & oilseeds (G&O) and sugar beets, up to EUR 30 to EUR 60/m3 for certain berries and greenhouse vegetables. Permanent crops occupy an intermediate position, ranging from around EUR 2.5/m3 for olives (including olive oil) to EUR 7 to EUR 10/m3 for fresh fruit. If tradable water rights were introduced, crops with higher water productivity would gain competitiveness, as farmers could afford to pay more to keep – or even expand – access to irrigation water. Conversely, producers of crops with lower water productivity facing higher water costs would have to choose between improving water efficiency to raise economic water productivity, continuing to irrigate amid lower margins, or shifting production toward rain-fed or more efficient alternatives.

Crop market impacts: Impacts are expected to vary markedly across sectors. G&O and sugar beets should face limited impacts, as global markets would likely buffer losses in irrigated production from water-scarce regions. Vegetables and berries are best positioned to maintain – or increase – irrigated production, thanks to their ability to pay higher water prices. Permanent crops fall in between. Fresh fruit and grapes would be relatively well protected by their higher economic water productivity, but citrus and olives would face stronger impacts due to their lower water productivity and high share of production in irrigated systems in water-scarce regions. Global and EU olive oil markets appear to be particularly vulnerable because production is concentrated in a handful of Mediterranean countries.

For food and agribusiness companies, stronger water governance would mainly threaten sourcing. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, as impacts and adaptation options vary across crops and regions. To safeguard future availability, costs, and supply continuity, companies should assess their exposure to water-scarce sourcing areas, determine whether and how suppliers can improve water efficiency, and identify where alternative sourcing may be needed.

Global pork trade has moved away from being driven mainly by China to a more fragmented and regionally spread market.Trade surged between 2016 and 2021 when African swine fever wiped out much of China's herd, pushing global volumes to about 12 million tons and value to near $35 billion. After China rebuilt its herd, imports fell sharply in 2022 and 2023 to just below 10 million tons. Since 2024 the market has stabilized at a lower level.China is still the largest importer but its share has dropped from 43% in 2021 to 23% in 2025, especially for pork meat. Other importers have grown in importance. Mexico is now the largest importer of pork meat excluding offal due to domestic supply constraints, while the Philippines and Vietnam are importing more because of ongoing disease problems.Export competition has intensified. The EU remains the biggest exporter but is losing ground to the US due to environmental rules, welfare requirements and higher costs. Brazil has overtaken Canada to become the third largest exporter, and has diversified away from China. Its shipments to the Philippines, now its largest market, rose more than 30% in 2025.Trade is increasingly shaped by animal health and geopolitics rather than just price. African swine fever remains a constraint in the Philippines, Vietnam and parts of Europe, including an outbreak in Spain in November 2025. However, importing countries are more willing to use regionalization, allowing trade from disease-free zones rather than banning a whole country, which reduces volatility.Tariffs, trade tensions and logistics disruptions are adding complexity. US exports to China have declined, China imposed anti-dumping duties on EU pork in 2025, and the escalation of conflict in the Middle East in early 2026 raised energy and freight costs.In this more competitive environment exporters need to diversify markets, improve cost efficiency, be more flexible in redirecting volumes, manage market access through biosecurity and compliance, and choose between competing on cost or on value-added differentiation.

World Farming Agriculture and Commodity news - 24 Augustus 2026

Strengthening resilience is increasingly critical for the European potato sector in response to rising volatility in supply and demand. The Northwest European processed potato sector remains fundamentally strong, but risks are increasing, particularly in primary production. Climate volatility, pest and disease pressure, and tightening environmental regulations, including those related to nitrates and crop protection, are raising production uncertainty. Downstream risks are more manageable, supported by diversified export markets, although growing competition from emerging exporters is increasing pressure on EU processors. Farmers can reduce their vulnerability through irrigation, integrated pest management (including biological crop protection and diversified crop rotations), and improved nitrogen-use efficiency. Processors and retailers can strengthen resilience through sourcing diversification, operational efficiency, and a stronger local-for-local approach when serving non-EU markets. The introduction of more resilient potato varieties requires collaboration of the entire value chain.

Consolidation is accelerating across the dairy sector, with major mergers, acquisitions, and portfolio changes reshaping the ranks of the industry’s biggest players.The global dairy industry continues to evolve through consolidation, specialization, and a stronger focus on value creation. According to RaboResearch’s Global Dairy Top 20 report, the combined turnover of the world’s 20 largest dairy companies rose 5.4% in 2025 to USD 267bn.

Consolidation remains a key industry theme, with major transactions such as the Arla Foods-DMK Group merger, Friesland Campina’s merger with Milcobel, and Lactalis’ acquisitions reinforcing the importance of scale and investment capacity.

At the same time, dairy companies are increasingly focusing on areas where they can build market leadership. Fonterra is shifting toward ingredients and foodservice, while companies such as Froneri and Magnum reflect the growing importance of category-focused business models. Across the sector, growth is increasingly being driven by higher-value segments, including nutrition, protein ingredients, specialty cheeses, and functional dairy products.

This year’s ranking also saw notable changes, with DMK and Unilever exiting following a merger and a spin-off, respectively, making way for new entrants Magnum and Emmi. Further changes are likely in the coming years as consolidation continues and ambitious players such as Royal A-ware pursue growth. While scale remains important, the industry’s future leaders will be those that successfully combine size with innovation, differentiation, and value-added products.

Global beef production is forecast to fall 2% year-over-year, further tightening supplies and supporting market fundamentals. Trade disruptions start to lead to a redistribution of global beef flows as global supplies continue to decline and cattle prices remain high. The Chinese import quota has seen Austrlaian exports to China drop dramatically since June. Brazilian volumes are expected to drop in August as they approach their quota. Meanwhile global beef supplies are expected to contract in Q2 with an overal reduction of 2-3% in 2026.

In the feature article we take a deeper dive into the impact of trade disruptions on the Brazilian cattle market. China has been the key driver of Brazil’s beef export expansion in recent years, both in volume and market relevance. In 2025, China remained Brazil’s largest beef destination, absorbing around 48% of total export volume. But reaching the import quota limit in August or potentially September, and the expected suspension from the European market will change the Brazilian market. Lower cattle prices and stronger retention of cattle may see supplies drop which may provide some balance to a likely reduction in export volumes.

Commodities

Cocoa	8.77%	4,773.00 GBP
Oats	4.18%	3.49 USD
Soybean Oil	3.78%	0.71 USD
RBOB Gasoline	3.12%	3.49 USD
Soybean Meal	2.57%	338.70 USD

Commodity Prices

Precious Metals	Price	%	Unit	Date
Gold	4,458.80	%	USD per Troy Ounce	8/29/2026
Palladium	1,427.00	%	USD per Troy Ounce	8/29/2026
Platinum	1,823.00	%	USD per Troy Ounce	8/29/2026
Silver	66.44	%	USD per Troy Ounce	8/29/2026

Energy	Price	%	+/-	Unit	Date
Natural Gas (Henry Hub)	2.89	-0.65%	-0.02	USD per MMBtu	8/28/2026
Heating Oil	115.18	1.87%	2.11	USD per 100 Liter	8/28/2026
Coal	125.60	0.80%	1.00	per Ton	8/28/2026
RBOB Gasoline	3.49	3.12%	0.11	per Gallone	8/28/2026
Oil (Brent)	89.31	-0.43%	-0.39	USD per Barrel	8/28/2026
Oil (WTI)	83.40	-0.16%	-0.13	USD per Barrel	8/28/2026

Industrial Metals	Price	%	+/-	Unit	Date
Aluminium	3,242.00	0.23%	7.50	USD per Ton	8/28/2026
Lead	1,880.00	0.43%	8.00	USD per Ton	8/28/2026
Copper	14,535.00	0.31%	45.00	USD per Ton	8/28/2026
Nickel	16,850.00	1.14%	190.00	USD per Ton	8/28/2026
Zinc	4,070.00	-0.90%	-37.00	USD per Ton	8/28/2026
Tin	55,125.00	0.32%	175.00	USD per Ton	8/28/2026

Agriculture	Price	%	+/-	Unit	Date
Cotton	0.90	-1.25%	-0.01	USc per lb.	8/28/2026
Oats	3.49	4.18%	0.14	USc per Bushel	8/28/2026
Lumber	564.50	0.89%	5.00	per 1.000 board feet	8/28/2026
Coffee	3.46	1.16%	0.04	USc per lb.	8/28/2026
Cocoa	4,773.00	8.77%	385.00	GBP per Ton	8/28/2026
Live Cattle	2.21	0.11%		USD per lb.	8/28/2026
Lean Hog	0.82	1.58%	0.01	USc per lb.	8/28/2026
Corn	5.11	0.15%	0.01	USc per Bushel	8/28/2026
Feeder Cattle	3.21	-3.85%	-0.13	USc per lb.	8/28/2026
Milk	16.66	-0.06%	-0.01	USD per cwt.sh.	8/28/2026
Orange Juice	1.33	-3.20%	-0.04	USc per lb.	8/28/2026
Palm Oil	4,628.00	0.76%	35.00	Ringgit per Ton	8/28/2026
Rapeseed	541.00	0.56%	3.00	EUR per Ton	8/27/2026
Rice	15.06	1.41%	0.21	per cwt.	8/28/2026
Soybean Meal	338.70	2.57%	8.50	USD per Ton	8/28/2026
Soybeans	12.78	1.69%	0.21	USc per Bushel	8/28/2026
Soybean Oil	0.71	3.78%	0.03	USD per lb.	8/28/2026
Wheat	234.25	-0.95%	-2.25	USc per Ton	8/27/2026
Sugar	0.18	-3.46%	-0.01	USc per lb.	8/28/2026

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World Farming Agriculture and Commodity news - 31 Augustus 2026

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