a2MC eyes own processing plant, more Chinese labels
The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) says securing more China label registrations and developing its own nutritional manufacturing capability are high on its agenda.
Ministry for Primary Industries director general Ray Smith remains optimistic about the long-term future of the dairy industry.
Smith told Dairy News that the sector is on the road to recovery, but warns that it could be another 18 months before it gets back to a position which looks like normal.
The big imponderable in the recovery is what happens in China. There are reports its milk production is increasing, albeit at a lower rate now than a year ago, and that there has been a decline in NZ exports there, which is expected to continue in the coming year.
He also points out there will continue to be more competition in the markets.
"But remember, its middle class is still rising and so I think what we will see in countries like China where this is happening, is an increasing demand for protein. So, NZ has got a place in there and our dairy industry has got a range of products that it supplies into the market.
"And don't forget, the NZ dairy sector has access to around 160 markets and it's quite good at moving the product around to get the best value they can," he says.
At present, NZ is enjoying a mild winter which has helped regions like the Manawatū get back on their feet after an awful late summer and autumn. Again, an imponderable for the dairy industry is a prediction from NIWA that we may get another El Nino system later this year.
But Smith says the positive side is that this spell of good weather was never predicted, so one can only hope.
More than 200 people turned out on Thursday, November 21 to see what progress has been made on one of NZ's biggest and most comprehensive agriculture research programmes on regenerative agriculture.
The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) says securing more China label registrations and developing its own nutritional manufacturing capability are high on its agenda.
Stellar speakers, top-notch trade sites, innovation, technology and connections are all on offer at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo being once again hosted in Wairoa in February.
As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make an early November dash to Bologna to the 46th EIMA exhibition.
Livestock can be bred for lower methane emissions while also improving productivity at a rate greater than what the industry is currently achieving, research has shown.
The horticulture sector is a big winner from recent free trade deals sealed with the Gulf states, says Associate Agriculture Minister Nicola Grigg.
OPINION: Fonterra may have sold its dairy farms in China but the appetite for collaboration with the country remains strong.
OPINION: The Listener's latest piece on winter grazing among Southland dairy farmers leaves much to be desired.