Fonterra  has slashed its farmgate milk price for the 2015/16 season by $1.40 to $3.85 per kilogram of milk solids but is supporting cooperative members with an additional 50 cents per shared-up kilogram of milksolids in the form of an interest-free loan. The initiative softens the blow for farmers, who’ve seen prices tumble from $8.40 pert kg/ms in 2014, but comes at …

The Commerce Commission has filed court proceedings against PGG Wrightson, Elders New Zealand and five individuals it claims fixed fees charged during the introduction of a national livestock tagging scheme. The regulator is in discussions with a third company, Rural Livestock. The commission alleges the companies and individuals breached the Commerce Act by establishing three pricing agreements prior to the NAIT Act coming into force …

The New Zealand dollar is expected to decline this week, weighed down by further weakness in the country’s key dairy industry and by a strengthening US dollar. A BusinessDesk survey of 10 currency analysts puts a possible trading range for the kiwi at between 64.50 US cents and 67.50 cents this week. Six expect a decline while four say it may remain largely …