17th August 2026 // Rural News

Beef cattle numbers rise as sheep flock continues long-term decline a2 Milk posts strong full year result on broad-based growth Northland bull killing renews push for dedicated rural crime response 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 Beef cattle numbers rise as sheep flock continues long-term decline New Zealand's livestock mix is continuing to shift toward beef cattle, with numbers rising three-point-three percent to three-point-nine-six million head in the year to June — while the sheep flock fell two percent to twenty-two-point-seven-eight million. Beef and Lamb New Zealand chair Kate Acland says strong returns, good feed availability and farmer preference for trading and finishing cattle are driving the beef increase. Southland recorded the largest regional gain at six-point-seven percent, followed by Taranaki-Manawatū in the North Island, up six percent. Despite fewer sheep, the lamb crop is forecast to be broadly stable at nineteen-point-seven-five million head — down just point-three percent — supported by a strong lambing percentage. Acland says total sheep numbers have fallen forty-six percent since 2000, reflecting cumulative land-use change including forestry, dairy conversion and retirement of grazed land. a2 Milk posts strong full year result on broad-based growth a2 Milk has delivered a strong full-year result, with group revenue up twelve-point-four percent to one-point-nine-seven billion dollars and net profit after tax of two-hundred-and-seven-point-five million dollars. Growth was broad-based — infant formula sales grew five percent in a flat Chinese market, other nutritionals surged forty-two percent through innovation in kids, seniors and supplements, and liquid milk revenue jumped twenty-two percent through market share gains in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. The company declared a three-hundred million dollar special dividend earlier this year following Chinese regulatory approval for its Pokeno facility registrations, and has also lifted full-year ordinary dividends from twenty to twenty-one cents per share. Looking ahead, a2 Milk is forecasting mid single-digit revenue growth in 2027 with approximately fifteen percent earnings margin, supported by significant new product launches planned for the first half of next year. Northland bull killing renews push for dedicated rural crime response The killing and attempted butchering of a ten-thousand dollar breeding bull in Northland has prompted ACT to renew its push for a dedicated rural crime response. ACT agriculture spokesperson Andrew Hoggard says whoever carried out the attack was brazen enough to enter a farm with a firearm and begin cutting up a nine-hundred kilogram bull in its paddock. Hoggard points to Federated Farmers' latest rural crime survey, which found sixty-seven percent of farmers had experienced crime — up from forty-one percent in 2016. ACT's rural crime policy includes funding one-hundred-thousand extra Police patrol hours in rural areas annually, establishing a dedicated rural crime unit, and strengthening penalties for livestock rustling and armed poaching. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.