Farmers' call
OPINION: Fonterra's $4.22 billion consumer business sale to Lactalis is ruffling a few feathers outside the dairy industry.
Fonterra has started consulting its 10,000 farmer shareholders on potential changes to its capital structure.
In an email farmer shareholders co-op chairman Peter McBride has asked them to fill an online survey.
The short survey has nine questions including on whether farmers want the capital structure review.
Fonterra’s board and management have been looking at capital structure options.
McBride told farmer shareholders that it needs a capital structure to ensure it best supports the co-op strategy and long-term vision.
“We have spent the past few months reviewing potential options, including staying with our current structure,” he says.
“Every option has its own merits, but also involves some form of trade-off.”
McBride says the farmer feedback will be considered as part of the board’s decision-making process as it moves toward a preferred option.
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.
OPINION: The phasing out of copper network from communications is understandable.