Fonterra FY26 Results: $9.69 Milk Price, $3.4bn Profit
Fonterra has unveiled its annual results for the 2026 financial year, posting $27 billion in revenue and close to $20 billion returned to New Zealand farmer owners and unit holders.
Fonterra has passed the peak milk production this season without any hitches at its plants.
The co-op was expecting 90 million litres of milk daily at the peak, which normally runs between mid-October and end of October; milk supply has flattened at 88m L/day.
In recent years the co-op has been forced to dump buttermilk as milk supply exceeded production capacity at its plants.
Fonterra managing director global operations Robert Spurway told Rural News it had come "very very close" to peak milk target.
"Based on current weather and volume, we have passed the peak, only just," he says.
Spurway says milk supply has become flat at top of the curve; the co-op has been collecting 55 million litres of milk in the North Island and 33m L in the South Island at the peak.
He says milk supply has been strong, thanks to very good grass growth.
"In my talk with farmers, they seem to be very happy with grass growth.
"We have seen milk supply right through the shoulders of the season and leading up to the peak 5% ahead of forecast."
Federated Farmers has called on Central Otago District Council (CODC) to drop or vote down a plan to truck sludge from Alexandra and Cromwell to farmland near Lauder, warning it would compound an "outrageous" situation created by a separate council's decision weeks earlier.
Synlait has swung to second-half profit as operations stabilise, but the dairy processor still posted a $75.4m annual loss.
LIC shareholders have elected a new North Island representative to the co-operative's Board, along with five representatives to its Shareholder Reference Group (SRG), following the company's Annual Meeting held in Invercargill.
Farmers across parts of Southland and South Otago are continuing to deal with difficult conditions after a prolonged run of wet weather, with pressure building around feed supply, stock management, pasture damage, farm infrastructure and everyday workloads.
Federated Farmers says it welcomes Labour's commitment to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act, calling on other major parties to do the same.
For Canterbury dairy farmers Sian Meijer and Rick Wobben, wearable technology has become one of their most valuable on-farm tools - helping manage 1850 cows across an expansive, high-performing dairy operation while improving efficiency, mating outcomes and day-to-day decision making.

OPINION: The same mainstream media muppets that brought you Jacindamania in 2017 have been flat out pimping for the Opportunities…
OPINION: Your old mate reckons the atrocious way farmers in the UK are treated by their lords and masters in…