Monthly Market Pulse – July 2026: Feed Additives Market News, Price Trends and Economic Outlook
Prices soften despite new Hormuz clash and a wave of plant turnarounds
As we move into the second half of 2026, the market focus is shifting toward year-end planning amid renewed geopolitical risks in the Middle East and a series of plant turnarounds. Despite these developments, feed additive prices have generally remained soft.
Escalating US-Iran hostilities have pushed Brent crude oil back to USD 100 per barrel, increasing supply risks across petrochemical, natural gas, and sulfur value chains. At the same time, the regulatory landscape remains volatile, with the US, Brazil, and the EU continuing anti-dumping investigations targeting Chinese products.
Early second-quarter financial results reveal mixed performance among producers, depending on their product portfolios. Meanwhile, China’s feed premix output declined by 2.1% during the first half of 2026, although exports of several key feed additives continued to grow strongly.
Economic Update in Feed and Food
As tensions between the US and Iran continue to evolve, the conflict has settled into a prolonged and unpredictable impasse. As of 23 July, Brent crude oil has climbed to USD 100 per barrel, erasing much of the relief seen following the temporary ceasefire.
While geopolitical uncertainty continues to weigh on the global economy, increased productivity driven by artificial intelligence is helping offset some of the negative impact on economic growth.
At the same time, El Niño has begun reshaping weather patterns around the world. This climate event is expected to affect agricultural production across several regions over the coming year, with both droughts and flooding posing significant challenges.
In the United States, headline CPI cooled sharply to 3.5% year over year in June, down from 4.2% in May, largely due to a 9.7% monthly decline in gasoline prices following the brief Iran ceasefire. Core inflation, however, remained relatively firm at 2.6%.
China’s economy also showed signs of slowing. GDP expanded by 4.3% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, marking its weakest growth since the fourth quarter of 2022 and down from 5.0% in the first quarter. Exports remained the strongest pillar of growth, but the widening gap between resilient external demand and weak domestic investment is making Beijing’s full-year growth target increasingly difficult to achieve.
Looking ahead, an unresolved Iran conflict, shifting rainfall patterns driven by El Niño, and an increasingly challenging global trade environment continue to shape market expectations as we enter the second half of 2026.
Poultry continues to drive global meat production growth
Poultry remains the fastest-growing meat category worldwide. Between 2026 and 2035, global poultry production is expected to increase by 21.4 million metric tons, with Asia contributing 12.0 million metric tons, representing more than half of total global growth.
Africa stands out as the fastest-growing region, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3%. Although the continent currently produces only 9 million metric tons, its growth reflects strong structural demand driven by urbanization and rising incomes.
The beef sector also continues to expand, with Asia leading absolute growth by adding 3.0 million metric tons over the same period, supported primarily by China, India, and Pakistan.
Africa is projected to add 1.4 million metric tons of beef production while maintaining a 2% CAGR, outperforming North America in both growth rate and production gains. In contrast, the European Union remains the only region expected to contract, with beef production declining at a -1% CAGR.
Get the complete market outlook
This is only a snapshot of the latest developments shaping the global feed additives market.
For a comprehensive overview, including detailed price movements, vitamin and amino acid markets, and the latest economic insights download the full July 2026 Monthly Market Pulse or Get in touch with the Kemiex team to learn how our market intelligence can support your procurement decisions.