increase font size
Silver Fern Farms shareholders have approved the joint venture with Chinese company Shanghai Maling.
At a special meeting in Dunedin yesterday, 82.2% of supporters voted in favour of the deal.
SFF chairman Rob Hewett says he is pleased with the overwhelming support shown by shareholders.
"It's all about better returns to our suppliers of livestock," he told shareholders after announcing the results.
"The understanding of our strategy is very gratifying."
The vote result will be relayed to Shanghai Maling, who will take it to its shareholders in China on October 30.
Hewett says SFF has a letter of support from Bright Foods, which owns 38% of Shanghai Maling.
"That's a huge degree of confidence in this transaction," he says.
Hewett expects the deal to finalise within nine months.
"We hope its sooner rather than later," he says.
"So this year, it will be business as usual for Silver Fern Farms."
One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact that, now more than ever, US farmers are being propped up by government welfare – a direct result of Trump’s hardline on its trading partners.
The second event in the Silver Fern Farms ‘Pasture to Plate Roadshow’ landed in Feilding last week, headed by chair and King Country farmer, Anna Nelson, and chief executive Dan Boulton.
China looks set to play a key role in helping the New Zealand wool sector shift away from trading as a commodity supplier.
If you find a new consumer in a developed wine market, you are taking them from someone else, says Blank Canvas co-founder Sophie Parker-Thomson MW.
The large 2025 harvest will exacerbate the wine industry's "lingering" supply from recent vintages, New Zealand Winegrowers Chief Executive Philip Gregan told attendees at Grape Days events around the country in June.
Engaging, thought provoking speakers, relevant seminars and relatable topics alongside innovative produces and services are the order of the day at the 2026 East Coast Farming Expo.
Farm supplies trader Ruralco has recovered from two consecutive years of losses to post a $1.25 million profit for the 2025 financial year.
Naki Honey, a New Zealand manuka apiary company, has crafted what is believed to be the world's most expensive honey.
OPINION: Wool farmers believe the future of strong wool still holds promise.
Applications are open for Horticulture New Zealand's (HortNZ) 2026 scholarship programme, with 20 funding opportunities available.
OPINION: Farmers are being asked to celebrate a target that changes nothing for the climate, wastes taxpayer money, and ignores real science.
