ARTICLE FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE February 2026 97 The free trade deal with the two largest U.S. trading partners - Canada and Mexico - is up for review in 2026 amid uncertainty over whether the US will let the pact expire or try to renegotiate key provisions. The European Union will assess its trading relationship with China, and tariffs or other measures will be considered as options to address the growing imbalance in their trading ties. GLOBAL ECONOMY: WATCH AI, CHINA, AND US Current projections will see 2026 deliver stronger economic growth than expected earlier: +3%, mostly driven by China (+5%) and the US (+2.5%). Growth in the Eurozone will be more sluggish at +1.2%. Watch out for the large stock that was built by US companies in 2025, to avoid the impact of increasing import rates, that reduced the inflationary effect of the US trade policies. If we see a delayed effect in 2026 – and that effect is strong enough - then this could impact growth rates. Artificial Intelligence (AI) may not impact the real economy to the same extent it is already playing a role on the financial markets. Large investments and strong valuations will be affected in a possible market correction. At the same time advancing technology will impact labor markets and productivity and as such affect economic growth. While China has grown to become a dominant player on the global political and economic stage, the less predictable US trade and foreign policies create an opportunity for the European Union – and the EURO – to grow its global influence. ANIMAL PROTEIN: SLOWING GROWTH Growth in animal production will slow down in 2026 to less than 0.5%. While poultry and aquaculture will continue to grow, swine and ruminant production will stabilize or show a slight decline. Producers will face tighter margins due to disease, higher trade costs, and trading down by price-sensitive consumers. Efficiency will be the name of the game, and nutrition will play a key role in reaching the animal’s genetic potential. MARKETS: MIXED PICTURE The global demand for animal protein is being supplied through local production and imports. Disease outbreaks, regulation, and trade policies are key factors in determining where production will take place. Whenever a market disruption takes place, one of the competing export blocks will quickly step up production volumes to benefit from the emerging opportunity. Europe will see pork and poultry production grow, but political pressure on agriculture may cause volumes to shift from NWE to CEE. North America will see modest growth in swine, while poultry will accelerate. Southeast Asia is set to deliver increased pork production, but African Swine Fever remains a challenge. Poultry production will see strong growth. Following government mandated herd contraction at the end of 2025. China will see its swine production decrease, South America will see growth across all species, primarily driven by Brazil. The EU-Mercosur interim trade agreement may create growth opportunities for beef and poultry exporters. Multinational companies that offer a diversified product portfolio, service a broad range of species, and have market share in all regions, are best posiErik Visser Hamlet Protein
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