Fonterra, Sharesies join to make share trading easier
Fonterra is teaming up with wealth app provider Sharesies to make it easier for its farmer shareholders to trade co-op shares among themselves.
Primary Industries Ministers Nathan Guy and Jo Goodhew have welcomed Fonterra's announcement that it will be investing $240 million to build a new mozzarella plant at its Clandeboye site in South Canterbury.
This has been driven in part by the success of the Primary Growth Partnership (PGP), they say.
"This will be the single largest foodservice investment in the history of New Zealand's dairy industry, and comes thanks to the success of the Transforming the Dairy Value Chain PGP programme," says Guy.
“This has developed world-leading technology that can produce natural individual quick frozen mozzarella in six hours, a process that traditionally took three months. This has given Fonterra the confidence to invest in a new plant, in addition to the $72 million expansion in 2013.
"This is another success story for the Primary Growth Partnership and for innovation in the primary sector.”
Associate Primary Industries Minister and MP for Rangitata, Jo Goodhew, says the investment will be a major boost for the regional economy.
“I went to school next door to the Clandeboye factory, which is now the education centre for the expanded site, so I know how important Clandeboye is to the local community,” says Goodhew.
"All of this investment and innovation is creating new jobs in South Canterbury, scaling up production and contributing to the region's economy.
"This is a prime example of the benefits that come from the government and industry working together to support research and development."
Transforming the Dairy Value Chain is a $170 million PGP programme co-funded by industry and the Ministry for Primary Industries. It is helping to create new dairy products, increase on-farm productivity, reduce environmental impacts, and improve agricultural education.
More information is available here.
The country’s 4200 commercial fruit and vegetable growers will vote from May 14 on a new HortNZ levy.
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.