Battle for milk
OPINION: Fonterra may be on the verge of selling its consumer business in New Zealand, but the co-operative is not keen on giving any ground to its competitors in the country.
September milk collection was 175 million kgMS, 2% lower than September last season.
As a result, the cooperative’s forecast offer volumes on GlobalDairyTrade over the next 12 months for New Zealand products has been decreased by 11,199 MT. Including this latest decrease, Fonterra has reduced GDT offer volumes since August 1, 2016 by 55,481 MT.
North Island milk collection in September reached 110 million kgMS, 5% behind September last season.
“Unfavourable weather conditions continue to impact production across most dairying regions. High levels of rainfall in October have made conditions difficult across many regions, but most noticeably in the central region where daily production is down around 14% compared to last year,” the update says.
South Island milk collection in September reached 64 million kgMS, 3% above September last season. Initial October collections indicate milk volumes in the South Island have begun to decline and may fall below last season, it says.
Fonterra’s milk collection across Australia in September, was 12 million kgMS, 1 million kgMS lower than September last season.
“New season milk collection has been heavily impacted by unfavourable pasture conditions through winter and early spring. While we have new farmer suppliers moving to Fonterra, this increase in supply has been offset by the challenging conditions, with record rainfall seen in some regions,” the update says.
