A shortage of wheat due to dire weather conditions earlier in the season has led flour company Edmonds to source stock from overseas.
Photo: Plant&Food Research New Zealand
Heavy rain in February ruined crops around the country, leading arable farmers to describe it as the season from hell.
Edmonds said the weather meant yields in the South Island had been significantly impacted.
"With the reduced supply available in market we haven't been able to source enough New Zealand grown wheat for our Edmonds flour," a company spokesperson said.
"In order to ensure Kiwis have access to an ongoing supply of high quality flour, we have had to urgently source wheat from Australia, which will continue to be milled and packed in New Zealand."
Edmonds packaging states the company only uses New Zealand wheat so it will be updated to reflect the change.
"Due to supply chain constraints, we will have to use wheat from Australia before the new packaging is available, so will be identifying this product by printing 'Made from Australian Wheat' under the Best Before code of the product.
"Edmonds continues to be committed to delivering Kiwi bakers high quality flour to ensure best baking results."
Federated Farmers arable chair Colin Hurst said he's not surprised Edmonds has had to make the shift.
"It's just really disappointing, but it's understandable with what's going on, it's been a really bad harvest, probably the worst on record with the continual rain.
"The area of milling wheat was down by about 30 percent last year as well because the prices offered last year were so poor."
Hurst said the combination of a smaller planted area with a drop in yields had created the perfect storm.
"The wet weather caused so much of the what to sprout so it wasn't suitable to make into flour, another issue playing into everything is the situation in Ukraine which has pushed up the international wheat price by about 50 per cent."
Hurst said the global shortage and price hike meant the contract price for the 2023 harvest - which was being planted for now - had improved.
He said this should encourage more farmers to plant wheat, creating a better supply.
"The contracts for the 2023 harvest are looking really positive, they're up about 50 per cent to $630 a tonne from last year.
"In all of my farming career I've never struck such a big rise like that, it's welcome but it makes you uneasy at the same time because if they shoot up this fast the price can fall just as quick."
Federated Farmers and arable farmers had raised concerns over the wheat supply with the government, he said, and they were hoping to meet Agriculture Minster Damien O'Connor later this month.
