Fonterra Cuts 2026/27 Milk Price Forecast to $9.25
Fonterra has reduced its forecast 2026/27 Farmgate Milk Price.
Fonterra chairman John Wilson says from a Fonterra governance perspective and the way the cooperative manages its business, its balance sheet is strong.
He also claims it has strong treasury policies on interest and foreign exchange risk. “So our position is very strong,” he says.
Hedging is managed through careful foreign exchange (FX) policy and everything is being run normally. “You will see that when the year-end results are released at the end of September; what our average exchange rate has been at the end of the year. And I think you will note at that time our treasury function performed very well in what has been a unique environment.
“We hedge in a very volatile environment, both for commodity prices and FX; and across financial markets and commodity markets generally we use a hedging policy to assist us to provide appropriate foresight in our forecasting for farmers and to manage the risk of volatility.”
Asked if they had rented warehouse space to stockpile milk powder as in 2008, Spierings says on the contrary they had had “an extremely strong July month of shipments”.
Spierings says the $500-600m capital spending reduction in the 2015-16 season will come from phasing new building and phasing offshore investment in farming, notwithstanding the essential investments needed to keep farms going in NZ.
He says they are in a strong position and there are no pressures on liquidity at the moment.
Fonterra has reduced its forecast 2026/27 Farmgate Milk Price.
New Zealand dairy farmers are set to be the first in the world to receive access to a new digital physical milk pricing tool that enables them to fix the price for their physical milk.
State farmer Pāmu is opening its farm gates this summer in an effort to give the rural sector the opportunity to see how large-scale, multi-system farming is delivering productivity and profitability across New Zealand.
A five-year study has found that the cost of reducing emissions without technology may be significant and unsustainable for Northland dairy farmers.
DairyNZ says Waikato farmers need certainty on Plan Change 1, but they say that certainty must be matched with practical, workable rules and a clear transition that doesn't get ahead of the new resource management system currently under review.
While the Government has moved quickly to make commercial hauliers' lot easier during the current fuel crisis, they appear to be stuck in the creep box when it comes to the agricultural industry.

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