Big dry raises fears of dairy crash

MetService says it will be weeks before any significant rain falls in key farming areas, putting the country's two leading exports, meat and dairy, under enormous pressure with production beginning to crash.

Farmers are rapidly getting rid of stock because of the big dry, putting important exports "under the gun", according to Federated Farmers.

The Government officially declared a state of drought in Northland yesterday and big dairy producing region Waikato is also extremely dry, along with Hawke's Bay.