Four Candidates Confirmed for Fonterra Board Election
Four candidates have been confirmed for two director positions on Fonterra’s board.
Coronavirus is forcing Fonterra to cancel its farmer shareholder meetings to discuss its interim results.
The co-op usually holds farmer meetings throughout the dairy belt to discuss results; instead, two webinars are being organised this week for farmers to hear from Fonterra leadership and ask questions.
Fonterra Shareholders Council chairman James Barron says restrictions caused by coronavirus means no shareholder meetings are taking place.
Councillors have also been encouraged to phone farmer shareholders rather than holding face-to-face meetings.
Fonterra farmers will get details on how to get on the webinars from their Farm Source reps.
Barron says the situation around coronavirus is changing constantly.
“Farmers, like everyone else, is bracing for uncertainty around coronavirus,” he says.
Fonterra chairman John Monaghan says coronavirus is now a global event.
He acknowledged the thousands of Kiwi businesses and communities doing it tough as a result of restrictions in place.
“These are unprecedented times, at least in my lifetime.”
The following rural/ farming events have now either been ‘postponed’ or cancelled due to the current COVID-19 situation:
• Agrifood week
• Central District field days
• International Agribusiness Summit
• NZ Shears
• All Beef and Lamb NZ events
• All regional NZ Dairy Industry Award events
• Mackenzie Easter Show
• Auckland Easter Show
• Dairy Women Network conference
• Irrigation NZ conference
• National Fieldays
A major move is about to get underway to improve the quality and viability of dairy beef and cattle in NZ.
Veterinarians say changes to the code of welfare for dairy cattle provides a positive foundation for improved cattle welfare across the country.
Today, 15 October, is the International Day of Rural Women, which recognises rural women’s contribution to farming, communities and the environment.
Global dairy giant Lactalis has integrated its Australian operations with the Mainland Dairy consumer business it acquired from Fonterra earlier this year.
After almost two decades of sharemilking, saving and building equity, Aaron and Marcia Flay this year realised their long-held dream of settling on their first dairy farm.
Good medium to long term prospects for NZ beef, especially in the US, has heighted the focus on various initiatives to capitalise on this situation.
OPINION: It seems Canterbury processor Synlait is still in the doldrums.
OPINION: Get offside with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters at your own peril.