A Year of Delivery for Fonterra
Fonterra’s 2026 financial year was a year of delivery, with record volumes of milk collected, processed and shipped by the co-op.
Fonterra says it remains committed to its social commitments despite the recent slump in dairy prices.
Addressing Fonterra’s annual meeting in Canterbury this month, chief executive Theo Spierings noted that the co-op did not cut corners or go back on its commitments.
He pointed out that Fonterra keeps on with Milk for Schools, the Living Water programme and dairy development worldwide.
“Once you start cutting corners… you lose trust; we have not cut a penny from those programmes,” Spierings told farmers. “We coped with changes, but we kept on investing in communities.”
Milk for Schools reaches 70% of New Zealand primary schools; 140,000 primary students drink Anchor milk daily.
Living Water is a partnership between Fonterra and the Department of Conservation, working to improve biodiversity and water quality across NZ; the work continues in five sensitive catchments.
The co-op’s dairy development programme helps the growth of sustainable dairy industries in key markets around the world, helping farmers to produce more milk, profitably and safely.
Three men have been sentenced in District Courts after Ministry for Primary Industries prosecutions over animal welfare, food safety and cattle tracing offences.
Fonterra’s 2026 financial year was a year of delivery, with record volumes of milk collected, processed and shipped by the co-op.
OPINION: The Government's decision to reinstate agriculture and horticultural science as a standalone subject from Year 11 is the right one.
Dairy farmers, still holding onto their Fonterra shares despite switching milk supply elsewhere or exiting the industry, now face a stricter share sell-down requirement.
Hamilton-based agritech company Aimer Farming has completed a $3 million capital raise to support its next stage of growth, including a beef farming product due to launch in 2027.
When dairy manager Miriam Lauridsen learned the farm, she was joining held weekly health and safety meetings, she initially thought that was “a bit over the top”. Experiencing that culture changed her mind.