Thursday, 13 October 2016 14:26

Food prices fall on cheaper chicken

Written by Rural News Group

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

Chicken prices fell 0.9% for the month, and 11% over the year to September 2016.

Food prices fell 0.9% in September 2016, influenced by seasonally lower prices for vegetables and cheaper chicken prices, Statistics New Zealand says.

Chicken prices fell 0.9% for the month, and 11% over the year to September 2016. Prices have fallen on an annual basis for the last 16 months to reach their lowest level since October 2007.

"Chicken prices peaked in December 2014, when the average price of a kilo of chicken breasts was $16.60," consumer prices manager Matt Haigh says.

"In September 2016 the average price had fallen to $13.52.

“The generally falling prices for chicken in recent months are the result of expanded investment in farming operations by the New Zealand poultry industry," Poultry Industry Association executive director Michael Brooks says. "With supply decisions being made one to two years ahead, temporary periods of under- or over-supply can occur and affect prices accordingly.”

Chicken consumed in New Zealand is locally produced, so prices can fluctuate in the local market.

Fruit and vegetable prices fell 5.1% in September 2016, reflecting seasonally lower prices for tomatoes, capsicum, lettuce, and cucumber. After seasonal adjustment, fruit and vegetable prices rose 0.4%.

Overall food prices increased 0.1% in the year to September 2016.

More like this

Editorial: Don't take away farmers' tools

OPINION: Farmers are being put on notice by the Green Party.

Going Green

OPINION: The Green Party’s rivers and oceans policy may have a new name but nothing else has changed.

Political Points

OPINION: Staying on Plan Change 1, NZ First deputy leader Shane Jones took to social media to gain some political points.

Waitoa launches QR-enabled campaign to trace free range chicken

Poultry producer Waitoa is launching a new campaign, complete with on-pack QR codes, giving Kiwis the ability to trace their free range chicken back to the farms where it was raised.

Why is butter so expensive in New Zealand? Fonterra explains

Kiwis love their butter, and that's great because New Zealand produces some of the best butter in the world. But when the price of butter goes up, it's tough for some, particularly when many other grocery staples have also gone up and the heat goes on co-operative Fonterra, the country's main butter maker. Here the co-op explains why butter prices are so high right now.

Featured

Farm Safety Improves Through 'Incremental Gain', Says Birkett

Improving health and safety is about incremental gain rather than a sudden decision, says Leeston farmer and Federated Farmers health and safety spokesman David Birkett.

Editorial: The Price of Progress

OPINION: Alistair Carmichael raises some interesting questions about striking a balance between profitability in farming and preserving the character of rural communities.

NZ Ploughing Champions' Gear Stuck at Sea Before Worlds

Ploughing champions Mark Dillon and Malcolm Taylor earned the right to represent the country at the World Ploughing Championships in Osijek, Croatia, on 5 and 6 September, after winning their titles at the New Zealand Ploughing Championships in Middlemarch in 2025.

Gallagher Adds Second Production Line as Wearables Boom

The man appointed to lead Gallagher's global Animal Management business through the next stage of growth believes the wearables boom is here.

Moxham Family's Organic Milk Now Comes as Gelato

Horowhenua organic dairy farmers Ange and Wayne Moxham have taken their business to a new level.

Faulkner: Take Rural Infrastructure Out of Politics

Federated Farmers' new vice president Sandra Faulkner says the issue of adverse events emergency management and infrastructure needs to be taken out of the three-year political cycle.