Milk price certainty
Westland Milk has reaffirmed its commitment to pay farmer suppliers 10c above Fonterra farm gate milk price for the following two seasons.
Westland Dairy Company's new chief executive Richard Wyeth stared his new role last week.
Wyeth, the former Miraka chief executive, is looking forward to bringing the strength of a global dairy giant to the opportunities that lie ahead for the West Coast dairy processor. Westland is owned by China’s Yili Group.
Wyeth took over from Shiqing Jian, who was interim chief executive following the resignation of Toni Brendish in August last year.
“We hope Richard is as excited as we are about the opportunities that lie ahead for Westland as he takes stewardship of this iconic New Zealand company,’’ Jian said.
Wyeth said Westland holds a unique place within the New Zealand dairy landscape and now, with the backing of Yili, the company was uniquely placed to leverage the advantages of its strong dairy heritage and culture.
“It is a great honour to be entrusted as the custodian of this iconic New Zealand company. I am especially aware of the important role Westland plays, not only within the New Zealand dairy industry, but also as part of the West Coast and Canterbury communities.
“Yili is an enormously innovative company dedicated to quality and serving the consumer above everything else. Being part of that naturally brings huge advantages for Westland.
“There has never been a more exciting time for the dairy industry in New Zealand and I look forward to embracing all the challenges, opportunities and responsibilities that brings in my new role.’’
Farmer-led charity, Meat the Need is calling for donations to enable it to supply more meals to families in need.
Weaker pricing and demand from China continue to impact New Zealand red meat export earnings.
Fonterra has cemented its position as the country’s number one cheesemaker by picking up nine NZ Champion of Cheese trophies this year.
New Zealand dairy processors are welcoming the Government’s commitment to continuing to push for Canada to honour its trade commitments.
An educational programme, set up by Beef + Land New Zealand, to connect farmers virtually with primary and intermediate school students has reported the successful completion of its second year.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.