Fonterra sale could deliver $3.2b windfall to farmers
A windfall of billions of dollars is good news for the agricultural sector and the economy in general, following the sale of Fonterra's global consumer businesses.
OPINION: A few armchair experts have dumped on Fonterra’s $4.22b sale of its consumer business, but the more your old mate reads about it, the more it seems like a smart move.
Kiwis feel a surge of pride when they see the old Anchor brand when they’re overseas, but national pride isn’t exactly the last word in financial analysis.
A better yardstick is the opinion of the likes of Forsyth Barr senior analyst Matt Montgomerie and analyst Ben Crozier, who refer to the assets sold as “the poor-performing Mainland Group”.
They view Fonterra as a “much higher-quality business” without it. The Consumer business has long been a problem area for Fonterra and its return on capital is typically abysmal compared with the co-op’s Foodservice and Ingredients arms.
Fonterra’s core strength is clearly milk processing—not branded consumer products.
With production volumes contracting in most major beef-producing regions, global cattle prices have continued to rise across recent months.
The 2025 Young Grower of the Year, Phoebe Scherer, says competing with other finalists felt more like being among friends.
A windfall of billions of dollars is good news for the agricultural sector and the economy in general, following the sale of Fonterra's global consumer businesses.
Superphosphate is still the go-to product for New Zealand farmers looking for spring growth, says Mike White, Ravensdown’s head of product and service development.
Carbon farming is threatening the economy of the central North Island, according to Federated Farmers Whanganui president Ben Fraser.
Farmers who find the land next to them is about to be converted into forestry, face potential damage and costly consequences.
OPINION: A few armchair experts have dumped on Fonterra’s $4.22b sale of its consumer business, but the more your old…
OPINION: After a run of bad polls and mixed economic news, PM Christopher Luxon was no doubt hoping for a…