DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb NZ wrap up M. bovis compensation support after $161M in claims
Compensation assistance for farmers impacted by Mycoplama bovis is being wound up.
OPINION: Two reports out last week confirm that the worst may be over for pastoral farmers.
The days of rampant on-farm inflation and depressed prices – especially for sheep farmers - may be a thing of the past. For red meat farmers, prices for farm inputs fell by 0.6% in the year to March 2025 after a 30% increase in prices since 2020. Deflation is an infrequent occurrence for farm input prices and a welcome respite for red meat farmers following a 30% increase in prices since 2020.
Beef + Lamb NZ’s annual on-farm inflation report puts this down to mostly due to lower interest rates, plus modest decreases in input prices such as weed and pest control, fuel and fertiliser, lime, and seeds.
A second report- DairyNZ’s View from the Cowshed – reveals that dairy farmers are feeling proud and increasingly positive about the future of their sector.
Most dairy farmers indicated they feel the outlook will remain positive for the sector over the next three years, with less farmers feeling that things will decline (21.1%) than those who feel it will stay the same (51.8%) or improve (27.0%).
The findings paint a picture of a sector that is passionate, resilient, and progressive.
While dairy farmers are enjoying record farmgate milk prices, the same cannot be said about sheep farmers. However, lamb and beef prices are on the rise. Farm-gate prices remain strong, and the outlook is relatively good.
This is a positive change from recent years, when high on-farm inflation eroded profitability. There’s also good news on interest rates. Farm lending rates are expected to ease further through 2025 and remain stable into 2026, providing further relief on debt servicing costs.
However, challenges remain – regulatory compliance impacts, farm conversions especially sheep and beef properties into forestry and the risk of global shocks.
Having said that, farmers are out of the woods and in a better space than they were a few years ago.
Overall, farmers have grounds for optimism and that augers well for the primary sector and New Zealand as a whole.
Managing director of Woolover Ltd, David Brown, has put a lot of effort into verifying what seems intuitive, that keeping newborn stock's core temperature stable pays dividends by helping them realise their full genetic potential.
Within the next 10 years, New Zealand agriculture will need to manage its largest-ever intergenerational transfer of wealth, conservatively valued at $150 billion in farming assets.
Boutique Waikato cheese producer Meyer Cheese is investing in a new $3.5 million facility, designed to boost capacity and enhance the company's sustainability credentials.
OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.
Compensation assistance for farmers impacted by Mycoplama bovis is being wound up.
Selecting the reverse gear quicker than a lovestruck boyfriend who has met the in-laws for the first time, the Coalition Government has confirmed that the proposal to amend Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) charged against farm utes has been canned.
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