Make the right decision, Peters urges Fonterra farmers
New Zealand First leader and Foreign Minister Winston Peters is ratcheting up pressure on Fonterra farmers as they vote on divesting the co-operative’s consumer and related businesses.
Fonterra Shareholders Council chairman Duncan Coull says today’s arbitration decision on the claims made by Danone has made this a tough day for the co-op.
Coul says it is farmer owners who will ultimately bear the cost, a fact he says is not lost on the Fonterra business.
He says Fonterra has made significant strides since the 2013 incident in terms of strengthening its operational processes, culture, and governance – as per the independent review process recommendations – and embedding them into our co-op’s functions and framework.
“Council is confident this has been done to a high standard and that our co-op is well placed in its journey to become the world’s most trusted source of dairy nutrition.”
The council was also confident the co-op acted with integrity when it issued the precautionary recall.
“Do What’s Right is one of our four values and in continuing to put safety ahead of all else we will build on the trust people throughout the world have in us.
“As tough as this outcome is, the lessons learned have enabled our co-op to emerge stronger and we now need to move forward together - proud of who we are, what we have achieved, and of our commitment to our values.”
Agriculture and Forestry Minister, Todd McClay is encouraging farmers, growers, and foresters not to take unnecessary risks, asking that they heed weather warnings today.
With nearly two million underutilised dairy calves born annually and the beef price outlook strong, New Zealand’s opportunity to build a scalable dairy-beef system is now.
Graduates of a newly-updated Agri-Women’s Development Trust (AWDT) course are taking more value than ever from the programme, with some even walking away calling themselves the “farm CFO”.
Meet the Need, a farmer-led charity, says food insecurity in New Zealand is dire, with one in four children now living in a household experiencing food insecurity, according to Ministry of Health data.
Applications have now opened for the 2026 Meat Industry Association scholarships.
Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) says it is backing aspiring dairy farmers through a new initiative designed to make the first step to farm ownership or sharemilking easier.
OPINION: Voting is underway for Fonterra’s divestment proposal, with shareholders deciding whether or not sell its consumer brands business.
OPINION: Politicians and Wellington bureaucrats should take a leaf out of the book of Canterbury District Police Commander Superintendent Tony Hill.