Markets were reported quiet in recent days. The Matif wheat price for December looks stable. It closed at €200.25/t on Tuesday 6 January, which was fairly stable, having closed at the same price on Friday 2 January.

French maize for November was also stable and trading lower than wheat at €194.25/t on Tuesday.

To compare this with the same time last year, the Matif wheat price for December 2025 was at €237/t. November rapeseed for 2025 was at €445.25/t on 2 January 2025.

ADVERTISEMENT

The French oilseed rape price for November picked up this week. It had been on a downward trend for most of the month of December and hit a monthly low of €437.25/t on 2 January. On 6 January, it had picked back up to €437.25/t.

UK and US markets looked to be in similar form. To compare this with the same time last year, the Matif wheat price for December 2025 was at €237/t, November 2025 maize was at €210.50/t and November rapeseed for 2025 was at €445.25/t on 2 January 2025.

The November price for UK wheat was at £171.80/t on 2 January, down from £173.45/t on 24 December.

Reuters wrote this week that traders reported that 10 US soybean cargoes had been bought by Chinese buyers. This equates to about 600,000t that are to be shipped from March to May.

This will most likely influence US farmers’ planting decisions in the spring time, which saw more corn planted last season.

US farmers are due to receive assistance payments by the end of February. Farmers will receive $44.36/ac for corn, $30.88/ac for soybeans and $39.35/ac for wheat planted in 2025.

Deforestation pact

Reuters also reported that some Brazilian soy traders were looking at exiting an Amazon deforestation pact, which was aimed at slowing down deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

The agreement prevents signatories from buying soybeans grown on farms in the Amazon region that were deforested after July 2008.

Environmental groups have criticised the move. The EU’s deforestation regulations, which were due to come in this year but were once again delayed, are to prevent products being imported from land deforested since 31 December 2020.

Northern Ireland prices

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) published Northern Ireland prices from 2 January.

It placed spot dried barley and barley for February at £196.50/t.

Wheat was at £201.50/t. Soybean meal from Brazil was reported at £323/t for January delivery.