Sugar hit
OPINION: Winston Peters has described the decision to sell its brand to Lactalis and disperse the profit to its farmer shareholders as a 'short sighted sugar hit'.
He says while Fonterra is a global company its roots have always been firmly planted in rural New Zealand, which is why the events were combined at Darfield.
"Both milestones will help the Co-op deliver on its strategy refresh announced earlier this year," says Wilson.
"Trading Among Farmers provides Fonterra with a stable capital base and creates the conditions of confidence for us to invest in the most productive areas to add value, grow our brands beyond existing positions and compete strongly in the most rapidly growing dairy markets in the world – South East Asia, Middle East and, of course, China," he says.
"Today for the first time in Fonterra's history, farmer shareholders are able to buy and sell shares among themselves on the Fonterra Shareholders' Market. At the same time, members of the public can now gain exposure to a New Zealand success story and the world's largest dairy processor by buying Units in the Fonterra Shareholders' Fund."
