14th September 2026 // Rural News

Dairy market shift signals upside for milk price Avocado growers eye record season APHANZ says reform success hinges on regulations   WANT TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW LIVE (11am-1pm NZST) ON THE GO? Download CountryWide Connect mobile app to stream the show via Apple Car Play or Android Auto. Or try the voice command ‘Play CountryWide Connect’ on Amazon Alexa or Google Home.   Apple: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/countrywide-connect/id6761033881 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ   Dairy market shift signals upside for milk price Global dairy markets are shifting from surging production to supply uncertainty, with new research pointing to upside for the New Zealand farmgate milk price. Rabobank says global milk production growth has slowed to just point five percent for the rest of the year, with Europe facing heat impacts and Brazil and Argentina slowing due to heavy rain. Meanwhile demand from Asia remains strong, especially for milk powder, with the past two Global Dairy Trade auctions delivering a solid lift in prices. Fonterra's opening milk price forecast was trimmed to nine dollars twenty-five a kilogram of milksolids in July, but new forecasts suggest it could land closer to ten dollars if costs are managed well. New Zealand production remains strong after last season's record of over two billion kilograms of milksolids, though rising costs and interest rates are squeezing farmer margins.   Avocado growers eye record season New Zealand's avocado industry is heading into a potentially record season, with almost eight million trays expected across domestic and export markets this coming season. NZ Avocado Chief Executive Brad Siebert says nearly three million trays will go to New Zealand consumers, worth around sixty million dollars, with almost five million trays worth about a hundred million dollars headed overseas. Siebert says New Zealanders currently eat about three kilograms of avocado a year, well behind Australia's four point seven kilograms, and lifting consumption closer to that level could grow the domestic market by more than thirty million dollars annually. He says New Zealand is self-sufficient in fresh avocados, so any extra local demand goes directly to growers, supporting continued investment in orchards and packhouses as production increases.   APHANZ says reform success hinges on regulations Animal and Plant Health NZ says the Government's regulatory reform for agricultural and horticultural products is heading in the right direction, but warns success will come down to the fine print. The comments follow last week's release of the Primary Production Select Committee's reports on the ACVM and HSNO Amendment Bills. APHANZ Chief Executive Dr Liz Shackleton says the Bills take encouraging steps toward greater use of trusted overseas assessments, but the real detail still sits in regulations yet to be written. Dr Shackleton says clear time limits are needed in both Acts to guarantee a proportionate and timely approval pathway, giving farmers, growers and vets certainty they can invest in New Zealand. She says industry is being asked to back a promise, and wants early exposure drafts to make sure reform holds up once written into regulation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.