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.
As a cooperative, Fonterra has a responsibility to its farmers to operate as efficiently as possible across every facet of its business, including vendor pricing and terms, says a spokesman.
"This will drive more cash back to our farmers, in turn helping strengthen rural economies," the written statement to the Dairy News says.
It was commenting on the letter which went out to about 4000 of its suppliers late last year wanting a 10% cut in prices and advising payment would now be 61 days after the end of the month an invoice was received.
"This is just one change we have made as part of a business-wide review and includes changes to our internal processes allowing us to be more responsive with our vendors and reduce our turnaround times with them," the spokesman says.
"We acknowledge that changes in payment terms will have an impact on vendors, and are working with them to help manage any potential impacts.
"The move to a 61 day term is in keeping with Fonterra's global standard term, which is already in place in many of our markets. The process of moving our vendors to our standard term has been underway for the last five years."
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: While farmers are busy and diligently doing their best to deal with unwanted gasses, the opponents of farming - namely the Greens and their mates - are busy polluting the atmosphere with tirades of hot air about what farmers supposedly aren't doing.
OPINION: For close to eight years now, I have found myself talking about methane quite a lot.
The Royal A&P Show of New Zealand, hosted by the Canterbury A&P Association, is back next month, bigger and better after the uncertainty of last year.
Claims that farmers are polluters of waterways and aquifers and 'don't care' still ring out from environmental groups and individuals. The phrase 'dirty dairying' continues to surface from time to time. But as reporter Peter Burke points out, quite the opposite is the case. He says, quietly and behind the scenes, farmers are embracing new ideas and technologies to make their farms sustainable, resilient, environmentally friendly and profitable.
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.