A rollercoaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Fonterra is closing a plant in Victoria as part of a review of its Australian operations. Its manufacturing site at Cororooke will close next year.
Fonterra Ingredients Australia managing director, Simon Bromell says the co-op is also starting a three-year program of investment and upgrades at its manufacturing sites in Victoria.
"To maintain our leading market positions, compete effectively on the world stage and continue to deliver a strong milk price to our farmers, we must ensure our manufacturing sites are efficient and capable of handling the growth we anticipate in the future," he says.
"With that in mind, we have reconfirmed plans to invest $20 million in site upgrades at Cobden and Dennington over the next three years, but we have also had to make the extremely difficult decision to close one site, at Cororooke.
"The Cororooke plant is over 100 years old and needs major upgrades to meet changing environmental and production standards. While our first preference is always to upgrade and maintain our sites, the challenges we face and the barriers to modernising this particular plant mean the most responsible thing to do is close it.
"This has been a tough decision and not one we have reached lightly. We have explored all alternative options to keep the site open but they were not commercially viable. We employ 130 people at Cororooke and supporting these people is our top priority at the moment. We wanted to give our people as much notice as possible, and we are working closely with all employees and their families to support them as we work through a staged closure process over the next year."
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.