Organic dairy co-op files for liquidation
A co-operative touted as New Zealand's only 100% farmer-owned organic milk producer has gone bust.
KPMG's global head of agribusiness is warning NZ companies exporting to Europe to be aware of what could happen if Britain decided to quit the European Union (EU).
Ian Proudfoot, just home from a visit to Ireland, says there was much discussion there about Britain exiting the EU (Brexit). A vote on this is due on June 25 and Proudfoot says the polls are evenly poised -- the vote could go either way.
Other polls show 60% of British farmers want out of the EU, but 88% of economists polled are strongly in favour of Britain staying in.
Proudfoot says even if Britain votes to stay in the EU, its relationship with the other 27 member countries will never be the same. If Britain decides to go it alone there are implications for NZ.
"The message for me was that companies doing business with Europe should start thinking about the implications of Brexit," Proudfoot told Rural News.
"The European market is highly volatile and the risk of that volatility getting greater hasn't gone away yet. If NZ companies have their trading base in Britain, as most do, that could be a significant challenge for them if the UK was no longer part of a free common market."
Proudfoot says if Britain decides to exit the EU it would probably create an opportunity for NZ. Britain would probably look to its old Commonwealth allies such as Canada, Australia and NZ to get a special trading agreement in place. But he believes if Britain exits, NZ would lose the leverage it has with Europe by virtue of its special relationship with Britain.
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.