Farmers' call
OPINION: Fonterra's $4.22 billion consumer business sale to Lactalis is ruffling a few feathers outside the dairy industry.
Fonterra farmers want a smaller board, says co-op chairman John Wilson.
Wilson says that's the message he got from taking part in farmer meetings around the country during the director election campaign.
He says Fonterra board and Shareholders Council will soon embark on a major consultation process with shareholders
"We will have a discussion on the capability of the board and the mix between elected and appointed directors," says Wilson.
He says a lot of ground work has been done over the past three years.
The review committee will be made up of board and council members; outside consultants may be engaged as part of the review.
A discussion document will be released January; a special shareholders meeting will be called around June next year.
The Colin Armer/Greg Gent proposal to reduce the board to nine members was supported by 53.8% of farmers. However, the proposal needed 75% support to enable changes to the co-op constitution.
About 65% of shareholders, producing 73% of the co-op's total milk solids, turned out to vote
Brett Wotton, an Eastern Bay of Plenty kiwifruit grower and harvest contractor, has won the 2025 Kiwifruit Innovation Award for his work to support lifting fruit quality across the industry.
Academic Dr Mike Joy and his employer, Victoria University of Wellington have apologised for his comments suggesting that dairy industry CEOs should be hanged for contributing towards nitrate poisoning of waterways.
Environment Southland's catchment improvement funding is once again available for innovative landowners in need of a boost to get their project going.
The team meeting at the Culverden Hotel was relaxed and open, despite being in the middle of calving when stress levels are at peak levels, especially in bitterly cold and wet conditions like today.
A comment by outspoken academic Dr Mike Joy suggesting that dairy industry leaders should be hanged for nitrate contamination of drinking/groundwater has enraged farmers.
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