Another Windfall for Fonterra Farmers, Unit Holders
Fonterra farmer shareholders and unit holders are in line for another payment in April.
The Fonterra Shareholders Council has given its approval to TAF (trading among farmers), paving the way for Fonterra board to launch the share trading scheme.
For Fonterra to move forward with TAF, the board had to be satisfied that five preconditions were met. The fifth TAF precondition was the support of at least 50% of the Shareholders Council.
Council chair, Ian Brown says there was 97% support for the resolution and this reflected the confidence the Council had in the new capital structure.
"The council's support for the preconditions, which are underpinned by 100% farmer ownership and control, signal that they have reached the standards set by the council on behalf of our farmer shareholders."
Brown says the council has undertaken a robust and fully independent two-year review process to ensure farmers' interests were paramount in the construction and design of TAF.
"From the outset the council viewed 100% farmer shareholder ownership and control as a non-negotiable and that any change to the capital structure had to be an enduring one.
"To ensure this was the case the council engaged the services of a number of external advisors who worked to review all aspects of TAF from a farmers' perspective. We are confident that the protections contained within TAF will preserve 100% farmer shareholder ownership and control and that the TAF model before us will provide the cooperative with stability for years to come."
Controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill have been lifted.
Fonterra farmer shareholders and unit holders are in line for another payment in April.
Farmers are being encouraged to take a closer look at the refrigerants running inside their on-farm systems, as international and domestic pressure continues to build on high global warming potential (GWP) 400-series refrigerants.
As expected, Fonterra has lifted its 2025-26 forecast farmgate milk price mid-point to $9.50/kgMS.
Bovonic says a return on investment study has found its automated mastitis detection technology, QuadSense, is delivering financial, labour, and animal-health benefits on New Zealand dairy farms worth an estimated $29,547 per season.
Pāmu has welcomed ten new apprentices into its 2026 intake, marking the second year of a scheme designed to equip the next generation of farmers with the skills, knowledge, and experience needed for a thriving career in agriculture.

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