Browse Data and Analysis

Favorable pricing and weather conditions for New Zealand cattle farmers have resulted in a retention of finishing cattle on farms and less slaughter in 2024. Farm operations face challenges with continuing financial pressure such as high debt, increasing on-farm inflation, and declining farmgate margins.

The beef sector in Israel is growing and is heavily reliant upon imports. Israel’s lack of grazing land for cattle and an increasing population are the main factors contributing to the growth in demand for beef imports.

New Zealand fluid milk production is forecasted to be 21.3 million metric tons (MMT) in the 2025 market year (MY).

FAS/Wellington 2025 market year production forecast would be the highest annual production on record, If realized. In addition, post is forecasting that beef and veal exports in 2025 to also be the highest volume for New Zealand in a single year.

New Zealand fluid milk production is forecasted to be 21.2 million metric tons (MMT) in the 2024 market year (MY). This is a decrease on the previous 5-year average of ~21.6 MMT, reflecting the decreasing herd numbers and the short-term effects of the following: El Niño weather pattern, softening revenue, high cost of debt servicing, and challenging feed and fertilizer prices.

Following a gradual decline in the national cattle herd over the previous years, breeding cow numbers for beef and dairy are looking to stabilize in 2024. At the end of 2023, a new national coalition government was elected.

In January 2024, the Israeli Ministry of Health’s National Food Services found that cultivated beef is “safe for human consumption.”

New Zealand fluid milk production in 2024 is forecast to decline by 0.5 percent to 21.4 million metric tons (MMT). This situation results from recent decreases in farm gate milk price forecasts, as well as rising interest rates, which are expected to...

Since reaching peak numbers in 2016, the New Zealand national cattle herd has been gradually declining, and this is expected to continue in 2024.

FAS/Wellington’s New Zealand milk production forecast is raised for 2023 to 21.5 million metric tons (MMT) as a result of favorable pasture growing conditions entering the year and strong milk production during the first four months of 2023.

Israel's chief rabbi affirms cultivated steak is kosher, which means it is permitted for consumption by Jews under religious law. This ruling opens the door for companies producing cultivated meat directly from laboratory grown cells to receive a kosher certification.

Since hitting peak numbers in 2016, the New Zealand national cattle herd has been very gradually declining and this is expected to continue in 2023.