Dairy farmers found seriously breaching minimum employment standards could end up on the stand-down list, warns Labour Inspectorate regional manager Natalie Gardiner.

Dairy Australia senior industry analyst John Droppert chaired a panel discussion on volatility in the dairy industry. Here are excerpts:

Australian dairy farmers supplying milk to Fonterra say any proposal to them on ownership options must have a sound economic rationale.

A study by a group of Norwegian researchers could increase suspicion of imported semen as the possible source of New Zealand’s Mycoplasma bovis infection.

MPI’s David Yard said it had received 51 claims for compensation; one had been rejected, leaving 50 valid claims to date. 

First results from the nationwide milk surveillance testing for Mycoplasma bovis have all come back clear.

a2 Milk Co has struck a deal with Fonterra that will enable it, over time, to diversify its milk sourcing, processing and manufacturing to meet growing demand for its products, the company says.

Severe damage to the Takaka Hill road from ex-cyclone Gita is forcing Fonterra to barge product by sea from its Takaka factory.

Despite all the damage inflicted on the dairy sector by ex-cyclone Gita, the Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor thinks farmers got off lightly.

Sharemilkers – especially those with 50/50 contracts -- must be on guard against the risk of Mycoplasma bovis if they are planning to move at the end of the season or to buy new stock.