Farmlands returns to profit with strong FY25 result
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.
Rural Trader Farmlands has appointed Dr Claire Nicholson to its board of directors.
Nicholson is a director of Parininihi ki Waitōtara Inc (PKW) and chief executive of Sirona Animal Health.
She is a member of the Māori, Stakeholders and Science Advisory Groups for the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre, a member of the industry advisory group for a joint government and University of Otago project developing new antimicrobials for the animal health sector and previously was general manager for animal health company Intervet in New Zealand.
Nicholson holds a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and is a graduate of the Hillary Leadership Programme, the Agri-Women’s Development Trust’s Accelerate Programme and Fonterra’s Development Programme.
Farmlands chair Rob Hewett says he is delighted to welcome Nicholson to the board.
“Claire has more than twenty years’ professional experience relevant to Farmlands in veterinary science and animal health, agribusiness, business development and marketing, technical research, environment and governance.”
Hewett says Nicholson’s appointment strengthens the experience and perspectives of the board at an important time for the retailer.
“Her experience in, and commitment to, innovation will be valuable as Farmlands’ management team, led by recently-appointed CEO Tanya Houghton, delivers on a broad programme of renewal and change.”
“Having been involved in many sectors of the rural industry for over 20 years, I am excited to join Farmlands at this time. I look forward to offering my experience gained from a range of organisations to help Farmlands deliver improvements for shareholders, customers and partners,” says Nicholson.
Three New Zealand agritech companies are set to join forces to help unlock the full potential of technology.
As the sector heads into the traditional peak period for injuries and fatalities, farmers are being urged to "take a moment".
Federated Farmers says almost 2000 farmers have signed a petition launched this month to urge the Government to step in and provide certainty while the badly broken resource consent system is fixed.
Zespri’s counter-seasonal Zespri Global Supply (ZGS) programme is underway with approximately 33 million trays, or 118,800 tonnes, expected this year from orchards throughout France, Italy, Greece, Korea, and Japan.
Animal owners can help protect life-saving antibiotics from resistant bacteria by keeping their animals healthy, says the New Zealand Veterinary Association.
According to analysis by the Meat Industry Association (MIA), New Zealand red meat exports reached $827 million in October, a 27% increase on the same period last year.

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