CountryWide CONNECT

Fonterra posts strong FY26 result

New dairy welfare code sets higher standards

ACVM Amendment Bill passes third reading


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Fonterra posts strong FY26 result
Fonterra has posted its FY26 annual results, delivering twenty-seven billion dollars in revenue and returning nearly twenty billion dollars in cash to farmer shareholders.
Chief Executive Richard Allen says profit after tax rose one hundred and forty-two percent to two point six billion dollars, with the final farmgate milk price landing at nine dollars sixty-nine a kilogram of milksolids. Farmers also received a fully imputed dividend of seventy-three cents a share, up from fifty-seven cents last year.
Chairman Peter McBride says the result reflects strong execution despite the Mainland divestment and a major leadership transition.

New dairy welfare code sets higher standards
New Zealand dairy cattle will be covered by a revised Code of Welfare, lifting minimum standards for calf feeding and cow body condition.
Acting Agriculture Minister Nicola Grigg says calves must now be fed at least twice a day for their first two weeks, while the minimum body condition score for milking cows rises from three to three point five out of ten. She says the changes reflect good industry practice and match consumer expectations.
Grigg has also recommended new regulations banning the tethering of dairy cattle and restricting electrified backing gates in milking sheds, with public consultation to follow.
The new Code takes effect in April twenty twenty-seven, giving farmers time to prepare, with the Ministry for Primary Industries supporting the transition with guidance and practical tools.

ACVM Amendment Bill passes third reading
The ACVM Amendment Bill has passed its third reading, by a hundred and one votes to twenty-one, opening the door to faster access to agricultural innovation.
APHANZ Chief Executive Dr Liz Shackleton says the strong cross-party vote reflects broad support for modernising the system farmers, growers and vets rely on to fight disease and manage pests.
She says the legislation doesn't lower standards, but avoids unnecessary duplication while still assessing New Zealand-specific risks and animal welfare requirements.
Shackleton says the focus now shifts to the regulations that will follow, with APHANZ calling for early engagement between officials and industry to get the detail right.
She says wider reform, including changes to the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms framework, still remains unfinished.
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This episode features Kate Scott, CEO, Horticulture New Zealand discussing how changes to the RMA will deliver for horticulture and what the reforms could mean for growers.

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.

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This episode features Sarah, Anne Lee and Andy discussing Fonterra FY26, following the co-operative’s annual results.

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.

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This episode features John Stevenson, Chair, Fonterra Co-operative Council discussing his tenure before stepping down in November and his time representing Fonterra farmers.

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.

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This episode features Dr Helen Beattie, Managing Director, Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Aotearoa discussing how the new Dairy Cattle Welfare Code delivers for farmers and the herd.

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.

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