Michelle Pye elected to Fonterra board
Canterbury farmer Michelle Pye has been elected to Fonterra’s board for a three-year term.
Danone has been awarded damages from Fonterra Co-operative Group totaling $183 million – fall-out from Fonterra’s product recall of 2013.
Fonterra has confirmed the amount, but is not yet able to comment on the full financial implications for the co-operative. Earlier today it requested an immediate trading halt to be applied to their securities on the ASX, the NZX and the Fonterra Shareholders Market to give it time to consider the impending decision.
The damages have been awarded by the arbitration tribunal considering a $980 million damages claim made against the cooperative by Danone. The Danone claim followed Fonterra’s 2013 whey protein concentrate precautionary recall.
Fonterra CEO Theo Spierings said the co-operative expected to make a market announcement in relation to the Danone arbitration decision as soon as possible after the decision is received.
“Fonterra remains in a strong financial position and any damages award will not affect our ability to operate. We will share further details with the market, our farmers and staff as soon as practical,” he said.
Danone has released a statement saying it welcomes this arbitration decision “as a guarantee that the lessons from the crisis will not be forgotten”.
Virtual fencing and herding systems supplier, Halter is welcoming a decision by the Victorian Government to allow farmers in the state to use the technology.
DairyNZ’s latest Econ Tracker update shows most farms will still finish the season in a positive position, although the gap has narrowed compared with early season expectations.
New Zealand’s national lamb crop for the 2025–26 season is estimated at 19.66 million head, a lift of one percent (or 188,000 more lambs) on last season, according to Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) latest Lamb Crop report.
Farmers appear to be cautiously welcoming the Government’s plan to reform local government, according to Ag First chief executive, James Allen.
The Fonterra divestment capital return should provide “a tailwind to GDP growth” next year, according to a new ANZ NZ report, but it’s not “manna from heaven” for the economy.
Fonterra's Eltham site in Taranaki is stepping up its global impact with an upgrade to its processed cheese production lines, boosting capacity to meet growing international demand.