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Fonterra will sell its 50% interest in DairiConcepts, the co-op's US joint venture with Dairy Farmers of America (DFA).
DFA will purchase Fonterra's 50% interest on 31 December 2015 for a price of approximately $196 million (subject to foreign exchange conversion adjustments and customary closing adjustments).
The DairiConcepts partnership was established in 2000 when Fonterra contributed its US dairy/cheese flavours business and DFA contributed a number of cheese and cheese-powder assets.
Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings says the transaction did not impact the longstanding relationship with DFA. Fonterra and DFA were both founding members of the Global Dairy Platform and had a shared interest in promoting the growth in global dairy consumption and the further development of cooperative dairy farming. Fonterra had decided to exit the partnership as it was considered to be a non-core component of its strategy.
"We still value our relationship with DFA, however, as the DairiConcepts business is almost completely stand-alone operationally, we have agreed that it would be simpler for one of the partners to buy the other out.
"The US remains a key part of our global multi-hub strategy and this divestment does not prevent Fonterra from exploring new growth opportunities for this milk pool.
"A long-term supply agreement we have reached as part of the sale, means our US milk pool will continue to meet value add customer demand through our NZMP brand."
OPINION: There is zero chance that someone who joined Fonterra as a lobbyist, then served as a general manager of Fonterra's nutrient management programme, and sat on the board of Export NZ, a division of lobbyist group Business New Zealand, doesn't understand that local butter (and milk and cheese) prices are set by the international commodity price.
Kiwis love their butter, and that's great because New Zealand produces some of the best butter in the world. But when the price of butter goes up, it's tough for some, particularly when many other grocery staples have also gone up and the heat goes on co-operative Fonterra, the country's main butter maker. Here the co-op explains why butter prices are so high right now.
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