Poultry prices fall 1.1% in September as Brazilian supply meets a softer EU market, while feed grain costs jump

FAO's meat price index fell 1.1% in September 2026 to 127.9 points, with poultry quotations easing on ample Brazilian export supply and weaker EU import demand, even as maize and wheat prices jumped and raised feed costs for producers.

FAO's Food Price Index averaged 136.0 points in September 2026, up 2.0 points (1.5%) from its revised August level and 5.8% above a year earlier, but still 15.1% below the peak reached in March 2022. The split inside the index matters for protein buyers: the crop-based groups rose while meat eased. The meat price index averaged 127.9 points, down 1.5 points (1.1%) month on month and in line with its level a year ago. Lower poultry and pig meat quotations drove the fall, while bovine and ovine meat prices were broadly stable. FAO linked the poultry decline to ample export supplies from Brazil and weaker import demand from the European Union following the entry into force on 3 September 2026 of the EU's antimicrobial-related import requirement.

Feed costs moved in the opposite direction. The cereal price index averaged 122.8 points, up 6.0 points (5.1%) on August and 17.2% above September 2025. Wheat rose 6.3% to its highest level since August 2023; maize rose 5.6% to a more than three-year high on lower-than-expected yields in the United States and reduced export availability in Brazil; sorghum gained 13.7% and barley 3.9%. FAO also noted that shipping uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz kept fuel, fertiliser and freight costs elevated.

• Meat: 127.9 points, -1.1% month on month and flat year on year; poultry and pig meat lower, beef and sheep meat broadly stable.
• Poultry driver: ample Brazilian export supply plus softer EU buying after the EU's antimicrobial import requirement took effect on 3 September 2026.
• Feed: cereals +5.1% month on month; maize +5.6%, wheat +6.3%, sorghum +13.7%, barley +3.9%.
• Oils: vegetable oil index 198.6 points, +0.9% month on month and +18.3% year on year, with palm oil up for a fourth consecutive month.
• Headline: overall Food Price Index 136.0 points, +1.5% month on month and +5.8% year on year, 15.1% below the March 2022 peak.

The read-across for Gulf and African buyers is that frozen poultry is currently the soft part of the protein complex: Brazilian tonnage that cannot enter the EU has to be placed elsewhere, which keeps offers competitive in the Middle East and Africa. Feed grain and freight costs, however, argue against assuming that softness lasts through the first quarter, so booking forward volumes while quotations are flat is the cheaper side of the trade.

Nau International Food Group supplies halal frozen poultry and frozen meat from HACCP-certified, GACC-registered plants, with halal certificates, veterinary health certificates and certificates of origin issued for each shipment. We arrange customs clearance and delivery into Dubai and onward distribution across the Gulf, Africa and Central Asia. For specifications, packing data and current offers, write to info@naufoodgroup.com.

Source: FAO Food Price Index, released 2 October 2026 (September 2026 data).