News Oceania n°4/2015

Period: February 9 – 20, 2015

AUSTRALIA

• Milk production: near the seasonal low point. Current milk production volumes estimated just above year ago levels.
• Weather situation: cooler weather conditions across Southern Australia has extended pasture utilization and delayed forage purchases for some producers.
• Milk producers: the hay market saw light trading and steady prices. A few cooperatives shifted their farmgate milk prices marginally lower.

NEW ZEALAND

• Milk production: continues to decline.
• Weather situation: the New Zealand government has officially declared the South Island as being in a state of drought. Conditions on the North Island are not as dry, but milk production continues to decline.
• Milk producers: the official declaration of state of drought opens the way for governmental assistance to those producers in the affected areas.

MILK PRODUCTION

• New Zealand *: +4.12% (Jun-Dec 14 vs. Jun-Dec 13)
• Australia *: +2.62% (Jul-Dec 14 vs. Jul-Dec 13)

BUTTER (82%): prices moved substantially higher over market concerns regarding the possibility of reduced supplies; available export supplies are primarily out of New Zealand, while Australian supplies are tight; some increased demand for butteroil is being noted as butter prices have climbed to a level where buyers from some countries find it more economical to purchase butteroil.

CHEDDAR CHEESE: prices held steady; Cheddar has seen some production increases in recent weeks, due to favorable returns; supplies are available in New Zealand; fairly tight supplies in Australia are limiting volumes available for export with domestic prices above export levels.

SMP: prices moved higher; U.S. West Coast port disruptions have added to demand interest with some buyers looking for spot sales to cover delivery delays; supplies in Oceania are more than adequate to cover current commitments.

WMP: prices moved significantly higher, as most buyers perceive supplies tightening in New Zealand; China’s demand continues; WMP supplies are more readily available from New Zealand rather than Australia.

The drought in New Zealand is leading to a decline in milk production, and a consequent reduction in the availability of dairy commodity is espected: this forecast is the predominant force supporting higher prices. Demand for butter, SMP and WMP has increased as buyers are anxious to purchase ahead of possible future price increases.

A small but increasing number of Australian dairy companies are seizing the opportunity to export fresh pasteurized milk to China.

Note: · Assessments about market trend are expressed in US$; · * Dairy season: July, 1st – June, 30th (Australia), June, 1st – May, 31st (New Zealand).

Source: USDA summarized by the CLAL Team

More informations about milk production in New Zealand and Australia are available on CLAL.it

CLAL.it – SMP prices in Germany, US and Oceania

CLAL.it – WMP prices in Germany, US and Oceania

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About CLAL Team

The CLAL.it team is composed of young people who with the help of Computer Science study the dairy market and develop tools to provide the Operators of the dairy sector with a comprehensive real-time view of the national and international market trends.