Meat co-op seeks capital from farmer shareholders
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
Alliance Group should be “named and shamed” for its deliberately long delays in paying money due to truckers, says Road Transport Forum chief executive Ken Shirley.
Shirley accuses Alliance of tactics similar to those of Fonterra -- withholding payment of truckers’ invoices until 90 days have elapsed after the end of the month when the invoice falls due. Fonterra copped a lot of criticism for the practice and backed down.
Shirley says stock truckers are already facing many pressures.
“So the stock transporter has to pay the wages, the fuel [bill], the road user charges, run the business – and doesn’t get paid until 90 days after the invoice is due. That’s totally unacceptable,” he told Rural News.
Shirley says “good on” Fonterra for backing down, but “bad on them” for doing it in the first place.
“My information is that Alliance is still doing this and it’s time they were named and shamed.”
Alliance’s group procurement manager Joost Habing told Rural News that the company altered its payment terms several years ago and had informed its goods and service suppliers about the changes.
“Previously, we had a myriad of payment terms in place and the standardisation was part of a wider programme to improve the efficiency of the co-operative and look after the interests of farmer shareholders.
“We were careful to provide sufficient notice to allow businesses to adjust their own practices. The change did not affect payment terms to farmers for the supply of livestock to the co-operative.”
The country’s 4200 commercial fruit and vegetable growers will vote from May 14 on a new HortNZ levy.
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
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