Medals galore for Fonterra cheeses
Fonterra cheeses are continuing their golden run at the annual New Zealand Cheese Awards.
Fonterra says it is committed to being transparent with farmer shareholders on its Beingmate investment.
The co-op says as an investor in Beingmate, it only has access to publicly available information on the Chinese company’s performance.
“When we have a meaningful update on Beingmate’s direction, farmers will be the first to know,” a Fonterra spokesman told Rural News.
Asked if Fonterra was rethinking its investment in Beingmate, the spokesman said the strategic rationale for partnership with a leading local infant formula brand still stands.
“But we are disappointed the company hasn’t maximised the opportunity created by the new registration rules.”
Fonterra points out that its partnership with Beingmate has enabled Anmum to expand from 60 to 184 cities; Anmum infant formula is now in at least 10,000 stores in China, on all the major e-commerce platforms, and is one of the top performers in Beingmate’s product range.
“It’s important to understand that the 80,000 retail stores was a reference to Beingmate’s footprint in China; however, as Anmum is a premium brand Beingmate has made the decision to focus on 10,000 stores to reach the right target consumers.”
Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.
Shipping disruption caused by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea has so far not impacted fertiliser prices or supply on farm.
The opportunity to spend more time on farm while providing a dedicated service for shareholders attracted new environmental manager Ben Howden to work for Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL).
Federated Farmers claims that the Otago Regional Council is charging ahead unnecessarily with piling more regulation on rural communities.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.
OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.