Rural News asked the country's second biggest meat processor and exporter – Alliance Group – about the current woes in the red meat sector.

Beef + Lamb NZ remains confident about the future of the NZ sheep farming sector, but admits there is good reason for current negativity.

Synlait Milk has dropped forecast milk price for the 2015 -16 season from $5/kgMS to $4.20/kgMS.

Red meat farmers say their current onfarm returns are not sustainable.

Ian Proudfoot, head of agribusiness at KPMG, gives his predictions for 2016.

Dairy farmers are being urged to make their businesses resilient around a $5/kgMS payout for the next few years.

Fonterra has dropped its forecast farmgate milk price for the 2015-16 season by 45c to $4.15/kgMS.

Westland Milk Products is dropping its forecast payout for this season.

The international head of agribusiness at KPMG Ian Proudfoot has a sombre message for dairy farmers.

While Fonterra seems to be putting a brave and optimistic face on the economic headwinds facing the dairy industry, the cooperative's optimism and the bare facts don't seem to align.