fbpx
Print this page
Tuesday, 23 November 2021 08:55

Doing nothing not an option

Written by  Sudesh Kissun
Fonterra chairman Peter McBride. Fonterra chairman Peter McBride.

Doing nothing to arrest the slide in milk supply is not an option, says Fonterra chairman Peter McBride.

He told farmer shareholders that the total New Zealand milk supply is likely to decline or be flat at best.

McBride says Fonterra's supply depends on the actions it takes with the capital structure, performance, productivity and sustainability.

"If we do nothing, we are likely to see around a 12-20% decline by 2030 based on the milk supply scenarios we have modelled.

"Protecting a strong New Zealand farmer-owned co-operative of scale is in all our interests."

He notes that being a strong co-op ensures it pays the highest sustainable milk price. Fonterra's milk price sets the benchmark for prices Kiwi dairy farmers are paid for their milk.

"Based on our current operations, our farmgate milk price could be 6-13 cents lower by 2030 if we make no changes to our capital structure."

More like this

Fonterra R&D: Innovation needs more than just PhDs

Common sense and good human judgement are still a key requirement for the super highly qualified staff working at one of New Zealand's largest and most important research facilities - Fonterra's R&D Centre at Palmerston North.

Misguided campaign

OPINION: Last week, Greenpeace lit up Fonterra's Auckland headquarters with 'messages from the common people' - that the sector is polluting the environment.

Featured

Editorial: Agri's mojo is back

OPINION: Good times are coming back for the primary industries. From sentiment expressed at Fieldays to the latest rural confidence survey results, all indicate farmer confidence at a near-record high.

National

Machinery & Products

Farming smarter with technology

The National Fieldays is an annual fixture in the farming calendar: it draws in thousands of farmers, contractors, and industry…