Winston Peters calls Fonterra vote result 'utter madness'
New Zealand First leader and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has blasted Fonterra farmers shareholders for approving the sale of iconic brands to a French company.
Fonterra is combining its Australian New Zealand (ANZ) and ASEAN/Middle East/North Africa businesses to form a single Asia Pacific/Middle East/Africa (APMEA) business unit.
A change to its senior management team arises from this reorganisation of its consumer businesses across the Asia Pacific region.
The managing director APMEA will be Mark Wilson, Fonterra's existing managing director ASEAN/MENA. The appointment takes effect in January.
After six years of working in Melbourne away from his Sydney based family, Fonterra's managing director ANZ, John Doumani, has indicated that he will take the opportunity to leave the cooperative and pursue opportunities outside Fonterra. He will assist in the transition period and will leave at the end of March next year.
Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings says the move was part of the cooperative's strategy to grow its consumer businesses: "Our businesses across Asia Pacific represent around 40% of our earnings and are vital to the cooperative. There are big growth opportunities in the emerging markets of Asia and Middle East, and some challenges to address in our home markets of Australia and New Zealand and our strategy requires us to address both.
"Mark Wilson is a very experienced global business leader who has grown our Asian business from strength to strength and we know he will do a great job in this expanded new role."
The Ashburton-based Carrfields Group continues to show commitment to future growth and in the agricultural sector with its latest investment, the recently acquired 'Spring Farm' adjacent to State Highway 1, Winslow, just south of Ashburton.
New Zealand First leader and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has blasted Fonterra farmers shareholders for approving the sale of iconic brands to a French company.
A major feature of the Ashburton A&P Show, to be held on October 31 and November 1, will be the annual trans-Tasman Sheep Dog Trial test match, with the best heading dogs from both sides of the Tasman going head-to-head in two teams of four.
Fewer bobby calves are heading to the works this season, as more dairy farmers recognise the value of rearing calves for beef.
The key to a dairy system that generates high profit with a low emissions intensity is using low footprint feed, says Fonterra program manager on-farm excellence, Louise Cook.
Rural retailer Farmlands has reported a return to profitability, something the co-operative says shows clear progress in the second year of its five-year strategy.

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