Why Fonterra accepted defeat in the dairy aisle
OPINION: Fonterra's sale of its consumer dairy business to Lactalis is a clear sign of the co-operative’s failure to compete in the branded consumer market.
It’s also the time when Fonterra farmer shareholders and those who supply independent processors watch the small Waikato processor Tatua show them a clean pair of heels in the payout race.
Just to refresh your memory, Tatua paid its 101 shareholder farms a whopping $12.30/kgMS for milk supplied last season, leaving Fonterra and other processors in the dust. The small co-op’s earnings for the 2022-23 season equated to $15.20/kgMS before retention. They retained $2.90/kgMS or $43 million for reinvestment in the business.
Fonterra, Synlait and Tatua are expected to announce their results towards the end of this month.
