Fonterra FY26 Results: $9.69 Milk Price, $3.4bn Profit
Fonterra has unveiled its annual results for the 2026 financial year, posting $27 billion in revenue and close to $20 billion returned to New Zealand farmer owners and unit holders.
OPINION: This old mutt suggests that Fonterra farmers may well have been a little too distracted by a high payout this year to see - or even notice- the exploding salary at the co-op.
According to excellent analysis recently done by BusinessDesk's Jenny Ruth, the number of Fonterra executives earning over $500k a year fell by 12 in the last year to 96.
However, this followed a 35.7% increase in the same salary bracket a year earlier.
Meanwhile, during the past year 1,052 more Fonterra employees are now 'earning' $100k or more a year - taking the total to 8,440 people.
Ruth is scathing about this jump in the salary bill saying: "The Fonterra gravy train keeps chugging along as its farmers, who are supposed to own the joint, appear oblivious to how much of the cream they produce is being hijacked by the executives". Ouch!
Farmers across parts of Southland and South Otago are continuing to deal with difficult conditions after a prolonged run of wet weather, with pressure building around feed supply, stock management, pasture damage, farm infrastructure and everyday workloads.
Federated Farmers says it welcomes Labour's commitment to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act, calling on other major parties to do the same.
For Canterbury dairy farmers Sian Meijer and Rick Wobben, wearable technology has become one of their most valuable on-farm tools - helping manage 1850 cows across an expansive, high-performing dairy operation while improving efficiency, mating outcomes and day-to-day decision making.
Fonterra has unveiled its annual results for the 2026 financial year, posting $27 billion in revenue and close to $20 billion returned to New Zealand farmer owners and unit holders.
The first major update to the Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare in more than a decade has been released, marking what DairyNZ describes as an important step in ensuring animal welfare standards continue to evolve alongside scientific evidence and on-farm realities.
Ravensdown shareholders have elected Jane Montgomery and Kate Acland to the Ravensdown Board for three-year terms, following a closely contested director election.