Middle East demand cushions global dairy price drop at latest GDT auction
The upheaval in the Middle East may have eased the fall in global dairy prices last week.
Dairy prices stabilised in last night’s Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction, rising 1.7% following a 9% fall over the previous two auctions.
Whole milk powder prices, which slumped around 16% in the last two auctions, bounced back with a 3% rise to US$2855/tonne.
However, increased milk production in NZ and Europe is expected to push prices down in future auctions.
Westpac senior market strategist Imre Speizer says with a number of contracts hitting the lower price limit in the previous auction, it had expected to see some further downside in prices this auction.
“The result was also stronger than futures markets had anticipated (NZX futures had priced a 6% fall).
“While demand from China dipped a bit lower last night, demand overall was sufficient to absorb the 10% rise in whole milk powder on offer. However, with supply trends in both New Zealand and Europe improving, the market will continue to be challenged by rising supply in coming months.”
Key Results
AMF index up 3.0%, average price US$5,799/MT
Butter index up 4.9%, average price US$4,910/MT
BMP index not available, average price not available
Ched index down 1.0%, average price US$3,406/MT
LAC index down 2.7%, average price US$913/MT
RenCas index up 3.6%, average price US$5,927/MT
SMP index down 10.1%, average price US$1,948/MT
WMP index up 2.9%, average price US$2,855/MT
Holstein Friesian excellence was front and centre at the 2025 Holstein Friesian NZ (HFNZ) Awards, held recently in Invercargill.
The work Fonterra has done with Ballance Agri-Nutrients Ltd, LIC and Ravensdown to save farmers time through better data connections has been recognised with a national award.
This past week has seen another round of negotiations between India and New Zealand to produce a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
Cautiously optimistic is how DairyNZ's regional manager for the lower North Island, Mark Laurence describes the mood of farmers in his patch.
The Infrastructure Commission has endorsed a plan by Chorus to expand fibre broadband to 95% of New Zealand much to the delight of rural women.
Questions are being raised about just how good the state of the dairy industry is - especially given that the average farmgate payout for the coming season is set to exceed $10/kgMS.
OPINION: Years of floods and low food prices have driven a dairy farm in England's northeast to stop milking its…
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content…