Incoming SFF chair's vision for the future
Incoming Silver Fern Farms chair and King Country farmer Anna Nelson wants the future of farming and rural communities to be thriving, healthy and happy.
Lobby group Meat Industry Excellence (MIE) says Silver Fern Farms shareholders must carefully scrutinise the proposed joint venture with Shanghai Maling.
Chairman Peter McDonald questions whether the proposal is the best or only option available to the company or to farmers. He is calling on farmers to get engaged in understanding and debating the proposal and to question the SFF Board.
"Why has a potential 50% partner been granted executive power at board level which doesn't seem to be reflective of their proposed share?" McDonald asks.
"Of course there are some positive elements to the proposal, but there seems to be very little understanding of the risks or costs to farmer shareholders and the industry."
He says the biggest question of all is why just one option was being put forward by the SFF board.
"Shareholders should be trusted to view and vote on more than one option"
MIE wants Silver Fern Farms shareholders to get engaged in this process. McDonald says farmers should attend meetings and pass on information to other shareholders.
He also questions the "sweeteners" being offered to shareholders in the deal. "These should not be the deciding factor," McDonald adds. "If anything, farmers should be asking why the deal requires a financial sweetener to shareholders if it makes sense in the long run."
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.