The rise in NZ milk prices should be enough to head off a major banking disaster caused by record high dairy farm debt in one of the world’s largest dairy exporting countries.

According to Reserve Bank of New Zealand, dairy farm debt exceeded $40bn (€26bn) in June this year. This figure has risen from $11.3bn (€7.35bn) in 2003. Debt per cow exploded from $3,000 (€1,950) to $8,000 (€5,200) during the same period.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has said that the New Zealand banking system is robust enough to weather a severe financial strain in the dairy industry after conducting a stress test on the country’s five dairy lenders late last year.

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The test suggested that the banks would increase their lend to dairy farmers to help them manage the negative cash flow period even though they would face loses from a prolonged downturn in the dairy sector.

The outlook for milk prices has improved in New Zealand since then with Fonterra forecasting a total milk price of between $5.25 and $5.35 per kg milk solid (26-26.5 c/l) for the 2016/17 season.

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