Why Fonterra accepted defeat in the dairy aisle
OPINION: Fonterra's sale of its consumer dairy business to Lactalis is a clear sign of the co-operative’s failure to compete in the branded consumer market.
On the eve of Fonterra revising its farmgate milk price, the overnight Global Dairy Trade auction (GDT) offered farmers some good news.
However, the 2.2% rise in GDT price index won’t be enough to prevent another downward revision of the farm gate milk price.
Fonterra is expected to revise the farm gate milk price, currently sitting at a range of $6.25/kgMS to $6.50/kgMS.
Whole milk powder price rose 2.5% to US$2,667/MT but still below the US$3000/MT threshold. The US$3000/MT is generally regarded as the break-even point for farmers, although adverse currency movements can hinder beneficial price movements.
Key results
AMF index up 3.9%, average price US$4,755/MT
Butter index up 2.7%, average price US$3,745/MT
BMP index up 16.9%, average price US$2,973/MT
Ched index down 2.2%, average price US$3,184/MT
LAC index up 0.5%, average price US$918/MT
RenCas index up 2.0%, average price US$5,167/MT
SMP index up 0.3%, average price US$1,970/MT
SWP index not available, average price not available
WMP index up 2.5%, average price US$2,667/MT
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
'Common sense' cuts to government red tape will make it easier for New Zealand to deliver safe food to more markets.
Balclutha farmer Renae Martin remembers the moment she fell in love with cows.
Academic freedom is a privilege and it's put at risk when people abuse it.
OPINION: Should cows in NZ be microchipped?
OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the…