Farmers who are struggling to feed their animals during the drought in Northland want to be prioritised for palm kernel deliveries.
There is tension in the farming community over deliveries of the supplementary feed which is increasingly in short supply.
Northland Rural Support Trust co-ordinator Julie Jonker said farmers who are using use palm kernel expeller for animal welfare should get it first.
"I would like that there is a provision made for farmers who are using PKE for animal welfare as opposed to just production. It's probably one of those things that has to be done by industry."
Ms Jonker said companies that deliver palm kernel are telling farmers supplies are running low.
"They're telling farmers there's no new contracts going to be done until after April, when the palm kernel becomes more available - after Easterm, probably later.
''And when it does become available it will be on a contract basis - nothing will be available on spot (spot market)."
Farmers of New Zealand director Bill Guest, who farms in Northland, said Ravensdown is struggling to fulfil its palm kernel supply contracts with farmers in his area and they're having to shop around.
"I've been told yesterday that Ravensdown are not going to honour the majority of their existing contracts that they've got here in Northland because they've run out of palm kernel," he said.
"Some of their clients have already gone to RD1."
A spokesperson for Ravensdown said it will meet its April supply contracts, but admitted the company is running late with its deliveries.
He said that was due to the huge demand, and a shipment of palm kernel is also running eight days late.
The spokesperson said Ravensdown was moving palm kernel supplies around the country to try and get them to the farmers who need them most.
He acknowledged it's an extremely frustrating time for farmers who are running low on feed for their stock.
