The country's biggest exporter has lowered its price from a previous forecast of $5.25 following sharp falls in whole milk powder prices.

A drop in the price of milk on supermarket shelves could be in store for New Zealanders - but not anytime soon, says supermarket chain Countdown.

Fonterra is expected to announce a sharp reduction in its farmgate milk price today.

Dairy farm prices are likely to fall this spring as the sector faces the prospect of two successive years of sub-par payouts, says the ANZ Bank

DairyNZ says New Zealand milk production is expected to fall by 2 or 3 per cent this season as farmers focus on improving the efficiency of their farming systems.

Whole milk powder prices have dropped to their lowest level since 2008, putting more downward pressure on Fonterra's farmgate milk price forecast and reinforcing the market view that the Reserve Bank will cut interest rates twice this year to partly compe

Whole milk powder prices - key to determining Fonterra's farmgate mik price, dropped by 10.3 per cent overnight.

Fonterra chairman John Wilson's verbal sharp-shooting skills were put to good effect at the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) ministerial negotiations in Maui.

Fonterra's board will meet on Friday to review the farmgate milk price.

As milk prices fall, farmers keep waiting for the cycle to turn. But what if Fonterra's problems are longer term, asks Jamie Gray.

Westland will decide on its final 2014/15 payout in September.

Is Fonterra on the right track? Or is it time for Plan B? Plan B would result in the company being split into a basic commodity player focused on growing the milk price.

As Fonterra's NZX-listed units languish near an all-time low, analysts say the market will remain cool on the dairy giant.

Fonterra Co-operative Group has put on hold plans to develop an Equity Partnership Trust that would have given its 10,500 farmer suppliers access to investor capital to help them with the compulsory....

Pressure is building on Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings as the dairy industry faces up to a winter of discontent, writes Liam Dann.

Jamie Gray writes: For Fonterra's farmers, investors and employees the severity of the dairy downturn will become clear early next month.

Having its main office in Auckland is a big part of the dairy giant's problem, writes Brian Gaynor.

BNZ has lowered its 2015/16 milk price forecast for Fonterra but says it expects dairy prices to recover late this year.

Hundreds of Fonterra employees and thousands of its farmer-shareholders have been dealt the twin blows of impending job losses and the prospect of a much lower farmgate milk price.

Chief Theo Spierings admits news unsettling for staff as co-op tries to reduce its payroll bill by up to $60m a year.

Liam Dann says axing 523 jobs may make financial sense to Fonterra's chiefs but the dairy slump is bigger than that.

Fonterra's board will consider its current farm gate milk price forecast for 2015/6 at its next meeting on August 7, a spokesman for the co-operative said.

Dairy prices have plunged in the latest world dairy auction, taking the Kiwi dollar down with it.

Fonterra says it is disappointed about a poor first-half result expected by its Chinese infant formula investment, Beingmate Baby & Child.

Farmer sentiment has been dented by a slump in dairy prices and conditions which saw more stock sent to slaughter earlier.

In submissions to the Commerce Commission, Fonterra's competitors say there is insufficient competition to deregulate.

The Chinese dairy firm partially owned by Fonterra has been suspended from trading amid the Chinese stock market turmoil.

Accolades for Craig Norgate rolled in yesterday from the rural and corporate sectors after the high-flying executive died suddenly in London.

The family of Fonterra’s first chief executive Craig Norgate may have to wait more than two weeks before they can bring the 50-year-old’s body home.