Key fact: Defra updated its animal-feed price dataset on 22 October 2026. September averages include feed wheat at GBP 209.67 per tonne, feed barley at GBP 185.22 and beet pulp pellets at GBP 255. These are monthly figures for Great Britain, not current delivered quotations for another market. Defra dataset, September observations in the official CSV
What the October release measures
Feed buyers have a new official reference point for reviewing offers. On 22 October 2026, the UK's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs updated its animal-feed price dataset. The scheduled release covers September straights prices across Great Britain. The observation period is September, not the October publication date. Defra release announcement
The September data records feed wheat at GBP 209.67 per tonne, feed barley at GBP 185.22 and beet pulp pellets at GBP 255. It also lists maize gluten feed at GBP 267.25 per tonne. These are separate product categories, not a ranking of interchangeable ingredients. Defra machine-readable data
Defra describes the straights series as monthly average prices. Its compound-feed series is updated quarterly, on a separate timetable. Buyers should therefore avoid presenting this release as a fresh monthly compound-feed price assessment. All prices in the series are expressed in pounds sterling per tonne. Defra series description
Commercial interpretation for ingredient buyers
Use the update to sharpen purchasing questions, rather than to set a target price for every offer. Before describing a supplier as expensive or competitive, establish whether the reference and quotation cover a comparable material, delivery period and commercial basis. Keep a historical benchmark alongside the offer without allowing it to replace the offer's actual terms.
Start with the product name. A benchmark labelled maize gluten feed should not be relabelled corn gluten meal in a buying register. GT Nutritions' corn gluten meal profile describes a product with minimum crude protein of 65% on a dry-substance basis. Preserve that specification and the benchmark's original category separately. A similar name is insufficient grounds for treating two quotations as equivalent. GT corn gluten meal profile
Apply the same discipline to milling co-products. Ask for the actual specification, physical form, reporting basis and recent certificate of analysis before comparing an offered bran product with a broadly labelled market series. Where fibre, moisture, bulk density or processing details are missing, request them. Do not assign a nutritional value simply because a familiar commodity name appears on an invoice.
Compare costs at the receiving site
Prepare an offer comparison around one destination and delivery window. Record the quoted currency, Incoterm and named place, shipment quantity, packing, payment terms and validity. Identify which costs are included and which remain outside the quote. Where applicable, obtain separate figures for inland movement, sea freight, terminal handling, clearance and final delivery.
Keep confirmed charges separate from estimates. If freight has not been quoted, leave that component pending rather than using a convenient historical figure as though it were agreed. A comparison with unresolved logistics can support further investigation, but it should not be presented as a completed delivered-cost calculation.
Agree how the payable quantity will be established. Ask whether quoted tonnes refer to the net ingredient weight and how weighing differences, packaging weight or shortages will be handled. Keep the proposed container payload separate from the quantity actually invoiced and received. These questions belong in the offer review before shipment.
For a British benchmark used in a euro purchasing review, show the exchange-rate source and date. The European Central Bank states that its reference rates are published for information and strongly discourages using them for transactions. An indicative conversion therefore needs to remain distinct from the bank or treasury rate actually available for settlement. ECB reference-rate guidance
Ask what explains an apparent price gap
When an offer differs from the benchmark, investigate the difference before negotiating against it. Request clarification on the contracted grade, loading point, shipment timing, packaging and included services. A useful supplier response should make the offer more comparable, rather than merely repeat that its price is competitive.
For alternative ingredients, ask the formulation team to assess suitability using the documented composition and intended application. Keep that technical assessment separate from the commercial comparison. Do not assume that a lower purchase price per tonne means a lower cost for the required nutritional contribution, or that a familiar reference grade guarantees the offered lot's quality.
Make the next buying decision specific
Bring three items to the purchasing review: the dated benchmark, the current written offer and the unresolved conditions. State the proposed action clearly. That might be to request a revised quotation, obtain a missing analysis, confirm freight or seek approval for a fully specified purchase.
Retain the original quote and record why the team accepted, rejected or deferred it. If the offer expires, refresh its commercial terms before approval. The practical value of September's statistics is a more disciplined comparison today, not a prediction of where prices will move next.