NEWS 102 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2026 Resilient demand continues to underpin prices across key species, even as tight supply conditions, shifting trade flows, and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty shape global seafood markets in early 2026, according to a new RaboResearch report. Global seafood markets enter 2026 on a cautiously optimistic footing, as steady demand in key markets contrasts with a supply landscape shaped by shifting trade flows and lingering geopolitical uncertainty. “While inflation has eased in major economies, supporting demand, the industry still faces headwinds from macroeconomic uncertainty, evolving tariff regimes, and climate related pressures,” says Novel Sharma, Seafood analyst at RaboResearch. Global salmon output is expected to rise by just 0% to 2% in the first half of the year. Norway, the world’s largest producer, and Chile, the second largest, both enter 2026 with constrained biomass following strong late 2025 harvesting, according to Sharma. “The heavy harvesting at the end of 2025 really reduced biomass levels, so we’re only expecting very modest, low single digit growth in early 2026. That said, there is still some upside if biological conditions turn out as favorable as they were early last year. We’re already seeing tighter supply push prices higher, with a clear rebound underway in both Europe and the US. And despite the broader economic headwinds, global demand has held up remarkably well – salmon continues to offer great value for consumers across Europe, Asia, and Latin America,” he adds. Read more>> According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), its yearly report on residues of veterinary medicinal products in live animals and animal products shows continued high compliance with official limits in 2024. The EFSA review looks at the presence of authorised and banned pharmacologically active substances and their residues in food derived from animals, including meat (farmed and game), dairy products, eggs, and honey. The types of substances covered are hormones (including steroids), beta-agonists (muscle-soothers), antibacterials, anti-parasitic drugs, and insect repellents, among others. The data in this year’s report, covering 2024, came from the EU Member States, plus Iceland and Norway. Overall, the percentage of non-compliant samples was 0.13% (629 of 493,664 samples), which is comparable to the previous year, when non-compliance was 0.11% The report features a division of the samples under three plans: · National risk-based control plan for production in the Member States - 0.16% non-compliance · National randomised surveillance plan - 0.22% non-compliance · National risk-based control plan for third-country imports - 0.2% non-compliance. According to the 2025 Eurobarometer on food safety, ‘antibiotic, steroid or hormone residues in meat’ is one of the top food safety concerns for over one-third (36%) of EU citizens, albeit 3 percentage points less than in the previous survey in 2022. Read more>> Global aquaculture update: Strong demand amid uncertainty EFSA: High compliance in EU veterinary residue controls Photo: EFSA
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