Industry Trends
China exported $2.6 billion of chicken products in 2025, almost double its 2020 level, and became a net exporter of the meat. Reuters reports buyers from Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Russia and Senegal, with Chinese product quoted about $1,000 per tonne below Brazilian and Thai offers.
Abu Dhabi's Global Food Week closed on 8 October 2026 with 97 agreements worth AED 6.9 billion (US$1.88 billion), its largest edition to date, after 47,092 visitors and 2,580 exhibitors from 92 countries; the final AgriTech Forum day focused on regulatory alignment, biosecurity and cold-chain infrastructure across the Middle East.
Eurogroup for Animals and World Animal Protection published the report "No Double Standards" in Brussels on 14 October 2026, arguing the EU's broiler welfare revision must cover imports too: 25 percent of EU chicken breast is imported and Brazil, Thailand, the UK and Ukraine supply 88 percent of it, while Brazil has been off the EU's poultry authorisation list since 3 September 2026.
Iraq's Prime Minister ordered a temporary suspension of customs duties and taxes on imported chicken, eggs and meat on 8 October 2026 to stabilise prices after an exchange-rate move; the Kurdistan Regional Government formally objected on 11 October, saying duty-free imports threaten its poultry sector.
UKMTO reported four attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz on 11 October 2026, including a rare strike on a container vessel; at least 18 attacks have been recorded since the start of October and mainline operators continue to keep away from Hormuz transits.
South Africa's ITAC opened a sunset review on 14 August 2026 of anti-dumping duties on frozen bone-in chicken from Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Importers want the duties to expire, citing Reserve Bank research that protection raised frozen chicken retail prices by 16.2% over 2012-21, while the domestic poultry association seeks five more years at higher rates.
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2268, published 8 October 2026, suspends EU imports of live poultry, germinal products and fresh poultry and game-bird meat from six highly pathogenic avian influenza zones in Canada, the UK and the US. The restriction is zone-based: unaffected regions of those countries keep EU market access.
Thailand's broiler exporters have cut their 2026 forecast to a 4-5% decline in value and volume, citing Brazil's return to export markets, weaker sales to the EU and the Middle East, and Chinese competition in cooked chicken. First-half exports of fresh, chilled and frozen chicken fell 19.2% to USD 595.5 million, while processed chicken kept growing.
Dubai's Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation has committed to priority handling for perishable food shipments and set up a joint committee with traders to tackle vessel waiting times, demurrage and freight charges. Dubai Customs relief measures include a 120-day extension of the customs suspension period and an 80% cut in penalties.
USDA's 9 October outlook puts global chicken meat trade 3 percent higher in 2027 at nearly 15.6 million tonnes: China's exports up 25 percent to 1.9 million tonnes, Turkey back at 525,000 tonnes, Ukraine at 530,000 tonnes, US exports down 1 percent, and Ghana holding imports above 500,000 tonnes.
Gabon is pressing ahead with a ban on broiler chicken imports from 1 January 2027 despite a US challenge at the WTO, and USDA's October outlook already assumes no chicken meat imports into the country in 2027. Domestic output remains a fraction of the roughly 55,000 tonnes imported each year.
USDA's October outlook raises Saudi Arabia's chicken meat imports to 575,000 tonnes in 2027 from 550,000 tonnes in 2026, with Iraq up to 525,000 tonnes and the UAE recovering to 400,000 tonnes as Gulf shipping normalises.
