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Fonterra chairman John Wilson.
Fonterra chairman John Wilson says he is unhappy about Fonterra coming third in the payout stakes among other New Zealand processors.
Fonterra was beaten by Tatua and Westland Milk in the 2014-15 season.
Wilson told Fonterra's annual meeting yesterday that he was "a reasonably competitive person".
"And while there are some exceptional achievements within your co-op over the past year, the reality is we did come third in the co-op payout stakes, and on the odd occasion we did not do a good enough job of communicating a clear message to you," he says.
"I can assure you that I don't like this any more than you do. Your co-op is in good shape, with investments delivering increased value for your milk faster, and solutions being provided more than ever, to you and me as farmers.
"But we still have work to do before we achieve the high expectations we all have for our co-op."
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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