The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Home / The Country

Milk production in Northland and number of cows plummet

Imran Ali
By Imran Ali
Multimedia Journalist·Northern Advocate·
20 Apr, 2023 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

AgFirst farm consultant Tafi Manjala says the days of peak cows in Northland are gone. Photo / Tania Whyte

AgFirst farm consultant Tafi Manjala says the days of peak cows in Northland are gone. Photo / Tania Whyte

A warning that the days of peak cows and milk production in Northland are over has been issued as a combination of factors, including regulatory requirements, are putting a strain on the dairy sector.

The warning from AgFirst farm consultant Tafi Manjala and Federated Farmers in Northland follows the New Zealand Dairy Statistics report released by DairyNZ and the Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) that shows the number of cows and the amount of milk solids produced in Northland are declining. It mirrors the trend nationally.

Cow numbers in Northland decreased nearly 6 per cent, from 258,292 in the 2019/20 season to 243,014 the following year.

The amount of milk solids produced in the region was down from 80.9 million kilograms of milk solids to 77.6 million kg/MS over the same period.

The report authors said after reaching a record milk production per herd and per cow in the previous 2020/21 season, production dropped back to 2019/20 levels throughout New Zealand as the impacts of Covid-19, climatic conditions on farms, inflationary pressures and supply chain issues presented a challenging year for the industry.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Nationally, declining cow and herd numbers resulted in a 4.3 per cent decrease in the amount of milk produced and a 4.1 per cent drop in the kg/MS processed.

Despite a challenging 2021/22 season, DairyNZ and the LIC said the statistics showed an innovative dairy sector responding well during a changeable time.

But Manjala said there would come a time when a cap could be placed on the number of stock people could carry, based on land use capability.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“With milk production going down due to a range of factors such as greenhouse gas and the rising cost of production, it will have an impact on communities. Everybody knows that the days of peak cow numbers are gone,” he said.

“There’s a correlation between the amount of methane produced versus the level of stock in terms of greenhouse gases, and for farmers, it’s about producing the same amount of milk more efficiently despite a drop in the number of cows.”

Sediment loss could be a factor in a drop in the number of cows, he said, as farming was not suitable on certain land.

“There’s also a generation of farmers that are leaving the industry, some because there’s no successor to continue on the legacy, for others it’s about compliance. There will be fewer mum and dad farmers going forward,” Manjala said.

The average per kg of milk solids per cow in Northland was 320. Kaipara led the stats in Northland in terms of the number of cows (91,161), total herds (281), and the number of owner/operators (191).

Northland lags behind Waikato, North Canterbury, Southland, Taranaki, Central Plateau, Otago and South Canterbury in terms of the number of cows.

The smallest average herd sizes are in Northland, Auckland and Taranaki.

The president of Federated Farmers in Northland, Colin Hannah, said no single factor was responsible for a decline in milk production.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Since 2017, he said the number of cows in Northland had dropped 36 per cent.

The unavailability of labour, rising interest rates, Fonterra contracts, experienced farmers moving on, and government regulation - which he described as “idiotic” - have all resulted in a slump in milk production.

Hannah said farmers would have to keep going as Northland’s economy was agri-dependent, whether it was cows, beef or horticulture.

LIC chief executive David Chin said record levels of herd testing uptake and strong investment in artificial breeding demonstrated a continued focus from farmers on herd improvement, to identify poor performing cows and to breed more efficient animals.

The average dairy co-operative payout from Fonterra and Tatua was $9.52 per kg, which was a record average payout for farmers, while dairy exports reached a record $22 billion in 2021/22.


Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Dairy

The Country

GDT: Prices up, but cheddar slumps

The Country

MenzShed revitalises historic dairy factory for community

The Country

'Yellow gold' with Mark de Lautour on The Country


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Dairy

GDT: Prices up, but cheddar slumps
The Country

GDT: Prices up, but cheddar slumps

Global Dairy Trade prices have rebounded 1.1% after four consecutive declines.

15 Jul 09:30 PM
MenzShed revitalises historic dairy factory for community
The Country

MenzShed revitalises historic dairy factory for community

15 Jul 03:00 AM
'Yellow gold' with Mark de Lautour on The Country
The Country

'Yellow gold' with Mark de Lautour on The Country

15 Jul 01:34 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP