Weather, policy and animal diseases are emerging as important market drivers, making the 2019/20 season, one of the most volatile in recent years. The unfavourable weather gripping the US has jeopardised production prospects namely for maize and soybeans, adding to the uncertainty generated by ongoing trade frictions and related compensatory measures for US farmers. In the meantime, the rapid spread of African Swine Fever in China, the world’s largest pork producer and consumer of feed stuffs, is expected to have major implications for international trade flows.