Wool prices are under pressure as large volumes of New Zealand wool comes on to the markets during January to March, says Cedric Bayly, general manager of PGG Wrightson Wool.

The Euro zone crisis, New Zealand dollar and Chinese New Year have been hitting wool prices, which before last week’s auctions had dropped about 12% since October.

The media response to sheep shearing's potential as a Commonwealth Games demonstration sport, if not the Olympics, has gone international.

Fonterra has broken its record for the highest export month with 246,000 tonnes of dairy products loaded on ships during December. The shipments boosted New Zealand's economy by $1.3 billion for the month.

Wool prices fell again this week with the New Zealand dollar up 4.45% against the main currencies since the last sale on December 21, says Wool Services International.

DAIRY COMMODITY prices dipped overnight on Fonterra’s GlobalDairyTrade platform with the trade weighted index of all commodities down 1.6%.

MAF says the Emissions Trading Scheme, and a generally positive outlook for wood and fibre demand, is behind a 27% increase in exotic forest plantings in the year to April 2011.

New Zealand’s competitive advantage as the world’s largest and most efficient producer of velvet is being frittered away by market ill discipline and an obsession with competition at the farm-gate, says a producer-owned co-operative.

WOOL PRICES at yesterday’s (December 15) auction were 2-4% down on last week’s sale, which also saw a drop of about 4% overall.

ABOVE AVERAGE production and prices bode well for pastoral agriculture in 2011/12, says MAF on releasing its half year update of its annual Situation and Outlook for New Zealand Agriculture and Forestry (SONZAF) report.