Silver Fern Farms roadshow highlights global demand
The second event in the Silver Fern Farms ‘Pasture to Plate Roadshow’ landed in Feilding last week, headed by chair and King Country farmer, Anna Nelson, and chief executive Dan Boulton.
Silver Fern Farms welcomes the Overseas Investment Office’s (OIO) approval of the application by Shanghai Maling to invest $261m into the company to create a 50/50 partnership.
The proposed investment is now unconditional and is set to complete on January 4, 2017, the first business day of the new financial year for the partnership.
Silver Fern Farms Chairman, Rob Hewett says the new partnership with Shanghai Maling creates a unique opportunity for Silver Fern Farms.
“Shanghai Maling’s financial investment will make Silver Fern Farms the financially strongest company in the New Zealand meat industry with the ability to confidently invest in our business.
“The partnership will help us accelerate our consumer focused plate to pasture strategy globally, and to grow sustainable value for our shareholders and farmer suppliers over time.
“It is very pleasing to now be at this point after nearly 12 months, and we look forward to the partnership getting underway in the new year.”
Shanghai Maling president Wei Ping Shen was pleased the partnership could now be completed. “We are very pleased with the regulatory approval for this partnership. It clears the way for us to move ahead with the partnership. New Zealand grass fed red meat is the best in the world and the Silver Fern Farms' brand has the potential to become a leading red meat brand globally.”
Hewett says after the investment is completed the cooperative will, as previously advised, pay a special dividend of 30c per share to all ordinary and rebate shares expected to be paid prior to March 31, 2017 and will commence the redemption of the remaining approximately $5m of Supplier Investment Shares outstanding.
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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