increase font size
Andrew Hoggard, Federated Farmers.
Federated Farmers say the 8.8% drop in the Global Dairy Trade yesterday will be disappointing to New Zealand dairy farmers but it is important not to jump to conclusions.
Dairy Chair Andrew Hoggard says, “Farmers have no control over the markets, along with a number of other things that impact us. That is the nature of farming so it is always hard to accurately predict the reasons for these drops, which ultimately affects our bottom lines.”
“To be honest I wasn’t expecting such a big drop with the previous lifts in GDT, but that just goes to show how unpredictable the market is.”
Hoggard says there is a lot of speculation of why the price has fallen, and currently all indicators point to a supply issue. However, until the experts have had time to analyse it, it is hard to know for sure.
“Regardless of where it has come from, this is not great for farmer confidence, and hopes of getting back to a $6 plus payout next season will be lower if we don’t see continuing lifts in the next few auctions.”
Confidence is something that will also need to be addressed with Fonterra’s organic milk announcement.
“Fonterra’s expansion of its organic milk business and increased payout to those certified will be welcome news for our organic dairy farmers. We just hope that Fonterra will give more certainty to those farmers than they have in the past,” says Hoggard.
“Only a few years ago Fonterra signalled the organic premium for some areas in the country would be dropped as it wasn’t viable for their business. These mixed signals don’t help organic farmers in their planning as certification can take a number of years.”
“In light of everything, it is important that farmers don’t jump to conclusions too early and just get on with what they can control, which is putting sustainable milk in the vat.” Hoggard concludes.
Federated Farmers North Canterbury president Bex Green says two public meetings held this week should have made it loud and clear that rural families and businesses are concerned about proposed staffing changes at NZ Police.
OPINION: The Government has been seeking industry feedback on its proposed amendments to a range of Resource Management Act (RMA) national direction instruments.
Federated Farmers is renewing its call for Greenpeace to be stripped of its charitable status immediately, following the activist group's latest publicity stunt.
Farmers are welcoming new Government proposals to make farm health and safety rules more practical and grounded in real-world farming.
There's been widespread support from the primary sector for the Government's move to put the brakes on local authorities to do any more work on planning changes ahead of major changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA).
One of New Zealand’s largest fertiliser plants could be forced to shut down for four months as uncertainty looms over gas supply.
Federated Farmers North Canterbury president Bex Green says two public meetings held this week should have made it loud and clear that rural families and businesses are concerned about proposed staffing changes at NZ Police.
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is consulting on a proposal to ban weedkillers containing chlorthal-dimethyl (DCPA).
August 6 marks Farm Worker Appreciation Day, a moment to recognise the dedication and hard mahi of dairy farm workers across Aotearoa - and DairyNZ is taking the opportunity to celebrate the skilled teams working on its two research farms.
OPINION: The Government has been seeking industry feedback on its proposed amendments to a range of Resource Management Act (RMA) national direction instruments.
A Taupo company says it's the first to bring CO₂-powered water heating technology to New Zealand dairy sheds, helping farmers cut energy costs by up to 85%.
OPINION: Sydney has a $12 million milk disposal problem.
OPINION: Canterbury milk processor Synlait's recovery seems to have hit another snag.
