Fonterra Suppliers Confident in Mainland Dairy Future
Fonterra's 460 milk suppliers in Australia, who will switch to Lactalis end of this month, are unfazed with the impending change.
Fonterra shareholders have voted yes to the co-operative’s new capital structure proposal.
The plan received 85.16% of the total farmer votes: it required 75% support to pass.
Chairman Peter McBride says the board and management are united in the belief that the Flexible Shareholding structure is the best course of action for the co-operative.
“Today our farmers have agreed. We have received a strong mandate for change with 85.16% of votes cast in favour of the proposal and 82.65% of eligible votes being cast.
“Changing our capital structure is the most important decision we as farmers have made in almost a decade. The results of this year’s resolutions were all above 80%, which shows farmers are united in their support for the direction of the co-op. Our full focus is now on delivering the strategic commitments we have made.
“I would like to thank everyone who voted and the thousands of farmers who gave us their time and ideas during the consultation period, which helped us to shape the proposal into the model that was successfully passed today.”
Matt McRae, a farmer from Mokoreta in Southland who runs a sheep, beef and dairy support business alongside a sheep stud, has been elected to the Beef +Lamb NZ Board as a farmer director.
Ravensdown's next evolution in smart farming technology, HawkEye Pro, was awarded the Technology Section Award at the Southern Field Days Farm Innovation Awards in February 2026.
While mariners may recognise a “dog watch” as a two-hour shift on a ship, the Good Dog Work Watch is quite a different concept and the clever creation of Southland siblings Grace (9) and Archer Brown (7), both pupils at Riverton Primary School.
Philip and Lyneyre Hooper of the Hoopman Family Trust have tonight been named the Taranaki Regional Supreme Winners at the Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
We are not a bunch of sky cowboys. That was one of the key messages from the chairperson of the NZ Agricultural Aviation Association (NZAAA) Kent Weir, speaking at an education day at Feilding aerodrome for 25 policymakers and regulators from central and local government and other rural professionals.
New Zealand's dairy and beef industries say they welcome the announcement that the Government will invest $10.49 million in the Dairy Beef Opportunities (DBO) programme.