Why Fonterra accepted defeat in the dairy aisle
OPINION: Fonterra's sale of its consumer dairy business to Lactalis is a clear sign of the co-operative’s failure to compete in the branded consumer market.
One of the architects of Fonterra says he’s very disappointed with the co-op’s performance over the years.
Tirau farmer, Tony Wilding says farmers expected better when they formed the co-op in 2001.
“It’s not the performance we had in mind when we formed Fonterra,” he told Rural News.
Wilding received a New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year’s honours list for his contribution to the dairy sector and community.
Read: Dairy leader’s award richly deserved.
He was part of the negotiation team that merged Kiwi Cooperative Dairies and New Zealand Dairy Group, with the New Zealand Dairy Board to form Fonterra.
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Tony Wilding. |
With the negotiations tying up then NZDG chairman Henry van der Heyden and his deputy John Roadley for months, Wilding stepped up to serve as NZDG’s acting deputy chair. Despite his criticism Wilding fully supports Fonterra, pointing out he’s happy with the shift in strategy.
Wilding is also happy that “the days of hiring high-flying overseas CEO” are over.
He fully supports the appointment of New Zealander Miles Hurrell as chief executive last year.
“There is nothing wrong with us, Kiwis”.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
'Common sense' cuts to government red tape will make it easier for New Zealand to deliver safe food to more markets.