Beef prices climb as supply contracts in key markets
With production volumes contracting in most major beef-producing regions, global cattle prices have continued to rise across recent months.
The Chinese Government has unveiled a major stimulus package to revive flagging economic growth, so will this help New Zealand food and fibre exports to the lucrative market?
Rabobank dairy analyst Emma Higgins believes it's still early days.
"We will need to see fundamental positive change to income for consumers and also increase confidence within China before we can get excited about this stimulus package having a significant impact on our food and fibre exports," she told Rural News.
"These announcements are a step in the right direction for these fundamentals to change, however, it's early days."
Adopting a suite of measures to reduce borrowing costs, the People's Bank of China cut interest rates on existing mortgages by 0.5 percentage points and supported new lending by reducing the level of reserve banks must set aside before making loans.
Last week's Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction saw whole milk powder prices rise 3% to US$3559/tonne, its highest average price on the platform for the past 24 months.
NZ dairy analyst Rosalind Crickett says future prices could be linked to the Chinese stimulus package.
"Looking ahead, there are a variety of factors at play to keep an eye on, particularly with the economic stimulus efforts by the Chinese government and the implications it will have on its domestic production and imports."
Meat co-operative, Alliance has met with a group of farmer shareholders, who oppose the sale of a controlling stake in the co-op to Irish company Dawn Meats.
Rollovers of quad bikes or ATVs towing calf milk trailers have typically prompted a Safety Alert from Safer Farms, the industry-led organisation dedicated to fostering a safer farming culture across New Zealand.
The Government has announced it has invested $8 million in lower methane dairy genetics research.
A group of Kiwi farmers are urging Alliance farmer-shareholders to vote against a deal that would see the red meat co-operative sell approximately $270 million in shares to Ireland's Dawn Meats.
In a few hundred words it's impossible to adequately describe the outstanding contribution that James Brendan Bolger made to New Zealand since he first entered politics in 1972.
Dawn Meats is set to increase its proposed investment in Alliance Group by up to $25 million following stronger than forecast year-end results by Alliance.
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