Fonterra is entering the fresh milk market in China.

South Island dairy goat farmers still have no large-scale market for goat milk some 18 months after a Chinese-backed processing plant began to be built -- with some fanfare – at Ashburton.

A “hint of conservativeness” can be detected in Fonterra’s updated forecast on the farmgate milk price last week, says ASB’s senior rural economist Nathan Penny.

While Fonterra’s first quarter revenue is up 4% on the same period last year, sales volumes are down 20% to 3.9 billion liquid milk equivalent (LME).

Fonterra has dropped its forecast milk payout for this season by 35c to $6.40/kgMS.

Meat co-op Alliance Group has doubled its operating profit to $20.2 million for the year to September 30, 2017.

Westland Milk Products’ (WMP) chief executive says the co-op may in future look beyond the cow in the products it makes.

The last year has been “one of the most challenging for the New Zealand strong wool industry”, according to Wools of NZ’s latest annual report.

Avocado exporters are now determining how to develop a niche market in China following the signing of export protocol by the two countries.

Meat company Silver Fern Farms has poached a top executive from Zespri to be its new chief executive next year.