Feed and forage supplies set to tighten into 2026

Livestock farmers are being urged to plan ahead for feed requirements well into spring 2026, with UK supplies already tight.

A combination of geopolitical events, a challenging UK harvest, and an exceptionally dry summer across some regions is already hitting feed supplies this autumn, according to the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC).

The AIC’s UK Feed Market Outlook suggests there is likely to be a greater reliance on imports during the second quarter of 2026.

See also: Global grain surplus to limit export prospects for UK wheat

It states that the UK feed sector requires 16m tonnes of raw materials each year, with 54% sourced domestically and 46% imported.

James McCulloch, head of feed at AIC, said: “Whilst the feed industry and livestock farmers are currently managing to balance nutrient requirements and supply, it is unusual to have to manage such pressures so early in the season.”

He said that additional challenges from both regulatory and trade policy uncertainty were adding pressure, with global tariffs and anti-dumping measures shifting supply and demand patterns.

Brazilian soyameal was quoted by the AHDB at £302/t for September and October delivery.

The UK Soy Manifesto, which has 51 signatories in the supply chain, will require all imported soya to come from deforestation free areas by the end of 2025.

Mr McCulloch said uncertainty around deforestation policies in Europe was having a dramatic impact on the supply chain and resulting in very few market offers for soya products for 2026.

The closure of the Vivergo bioethanol plant has also impacted feed supplies.

Mr McCulloch said the two UK bioethanol plants combined would have typically produced 750,000t of distiller grains each year, but now there is a greater reliance on imports, adding time and cost to the supply chain.

Grain markets

Large global supplies continue to put pressure on domestic prices with ex-farm feed wheat and feed barley trading at roughly £162/t and £145/t respectively in the past week.

Online crop marketplace Hectare Trading has observed an increase in the number of farmers selling crops forward after harvest, with just 25% of wheat sales on the platform for immediate movement since the start of July, compared with 45% during the same period last year.

Luke Carr, chief revenue officer at Hectare, said: “As grain prices remain under pressure and input costs rise, more UK farmers are turning to strategic selling to manage risk and secure margins.”

He added that farmers were also increasingly selling their 2026 crop before the seed was even in the ground.

European trade association Coceral has estimated the total grain crop in the EU-27 and UK at 306.8m tonnes this year, up from 279.1m tonnes last year.

Impact on dairy

Dairy specialists Kingshay calculated that purchased feed costs were 11.49p/litre in July, with concentrate prices of £305/t, down by £19/t on the year.

Meanwhile, concentrate usage per cow was up by 5.5% on the year.

Organic dairy farmers facing feed shortages this winter have been left with fewer alternatives than conventional producers.

ForFarmers organic and grazing commercial manager Ben Trott said organic cows are required to be fed a diet where forage accounts for a minimum of 60% of their dry matter intake.

“We can push up the concentrate feed rate, but not in isolation from the forage.

“Organic producers will need to rely on grass and wholecrop silages. There may also be some fodder beet available.”

Mr Trott advised organic farmers to consider planting turnips or forage rape to keep some stock outside grazing as long as possible.