Tuesday, 23 January 2024 10:25

Spread too thin?

Written by Milking It

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OPINION: With current dairy returns so tight, Fonterra farmers may start to question the wisdom of some of the co-op's more charitable ventures.

The co-op has been supplying free milk to NZ schools for a while now. Its Aussie arm is now also making regular donations of Fonterra's Duck River Butter to 19 schools across northern Tasmania, an initiative aimed to "reduce the impact of disadvantage when breakfast is missed".

A worthy aim, no doubt about it, which is why questioning such initiatives can seem mean, and is usually avoided. But it is worth asking: When on-farm returns just aren't there, can the co-op really afford to keep doing this? As they say, charity starts at home.

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