Top dairy CEO quits
Arguably one of the country's top dairy company's chief executives, Richard Wyeth has abruptly quit Chinese owned Westland Milk Products (WMP)
Hokitika-based Westland Milk Products, New Zealand’s second largest dairy co-operative, has lifted its payout prediction for the 2016-17 season to a net range (after retentions) of $5.30 to $5.70/kgMS.
The cooperative’s previous estimate for the season was a net range of $4.55 to $4.95/kgMS.
Chief executive Toni Brendish says the lift in payout prediction has been made possible by two factors.
“Firstly,” she says, “global dairy market prices have increased and Westland has been able to take advantage of that.
“Secondly, we have made a number of improvements to the efficiency of our production and quality assurance processes resulting in savings that can be passed on to shareholders.”
Brendish says the global dairy market remained volatile and industry commentators did not have a consensus on where final payout figures were likely to settle.
“The improvements in the market give us sufficient confidence to take a cautiously optimistic approach and raise our payout prediction accordingly.”
Brendish says that Westland would also raise its advance payout rate to shareholders to $4/kgMS (up from $3.80).
Rural Contractors NZ says proposed changes to land transport rules for agricultural vehicles are a welcome response by the Government to out-of-date regulations which have seen members hit with huge fines.
With New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions in the spotlight, Auckland scientist Nathan Balasingham says there’s a better way to tackle the problem than shrinking cow numbers or fertiliser usage.
Massey University vice chancellor Pierre Venter says his institute is moving from a period of austerity into a growth phase, based on their new strategy.
With the red meat sector going through a boom time with high prices, the time is right for the industry to step up its investment into developing new food products.
Meat Industry Association chief executive Nick Beeby says there’s now much closer cooperation between meat processing companies than there was many years ago.
Good news for Fonterra farmers. The co-op has raised this season’s farmgate milk price mid-point by 25c to $9.75/kgMS.