Fonterra's 60c drop in farmgate milk price payout in line with weak expectations

Fonterra's 60c drop in farmgate milk price payout in line with weak expectations
By Fiona Rotherham Dec. 10 (BusinessDesk) - Fonterra Cooperative Group has slashed its forecast farmgate milk price for the 2014/2015 season by 60 cents per kilogram of milk solids to $4.70/kgMS, but has left the dividend range unchanged at 25-35 cents per share. The lower payout would translate to a $1.1 billion revenue drop for the dairy industry and $6.6 billion less than last season, according to Bank of New Zealand senior economist Doug Steel, while Westpac Banking Corp estimates the drop from $8.40 last season to $4.70/kgMS forecast...