Make the right decision, Peters urges Fonterra farmers
New Zealand First leader and Foreign Minister Winston Peters is ratcheting up pressure on Fonterra farmers as they vote on divesting the co-operative’s consumer and related businesses.
The co-op usually holds farmer meetings throughout the dairy belt to discuss results; instead, two webinars are being organised this week for farmers to hear from Fonterra leadership and ask questions.
Fonterra Shareholders Council chairman James Barron says restrictions caused by coronavirus means no shareholder meetings are taking place.
Councillors have also been encouraged to phone farmer shareholders rather than holding face-to-face meetings.
Fonterra farmers will get details on how to get on the webinars from their Farm Source reps.
Barron says the situation around coronavirus is changing constantly.
“Farmers, like everyone else, is bracing for uncertainty around coronavirus,” he says.
Fonterra chairman John Monaghan says coronavirus is now a global event.
He acknowledged the thousands of Kiwi businesses and communities doing it tough as a result of restrictions in place.
“These are unprecedented times, at least in my lifetime.”
The following rural/ farming events have now either been ‘postponed’ or cancelled due to the current COVID-19 situation:
• Agrifood week
• Central District field days
• International Agribusiness Summit
• NZ Shears
• All Beef and Lamb NZ events
• All regional NZ Dairy Industry Award events
• Mackenzie Easter Show
• Auckland Easter Show
• Dairy Women Network conference
• Irrigation NZ conference
• National Fieldays
