Fonterra’s exit from Australia ‘a major event’
Fonterra’s impending exit from the Australian dairy industry is a major event but the story doesn’t change too much for farmers.
A mate of the Hound reckons those who think dairy is tough going these days should spare a thought for former Fonterra chair Sir Henry van der Heyden.
The ex-dairy boss is – among a myriad business ventures – a director of chicken farm Heyden Farms.
This company has been in the news lately for its bad animal welfare practices (‘colony’ chickens) and now its eggs have been pulled from Countdown supermarkets nationwide.
As your old mate’s confidant opined: “it looks like the chickens are coming home to roost for Hank!” Perhaps a $3.90 dairy payout is not so bad, eh Henry.
As New Zealand marks the United Nations’ International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 (IYWF 2026), industry leaders are challenging the misconception that women only support farming.
Fonterra’s impending exit from the Australian dairy industry is a major event but the story doesn’t change too much for farmers.
Expect greater collaboration between Massey University’s school of Agriculture and Environment and Ireland’s leading agriculture university, the University College of Dublin (UCD), in the future.
A partnership between Torere Macadamias Ltd and the Riddet Institute aims to unlock value from macadamia nuts while growing the next generation of Māori agribusiness researchers.
A new partnership between Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) and NZAgbiz aims to make evidence-based calf rearing practices accessible to all farm teams.
Despite some trying circumstances recently, the cherry season looks set to emerge on top of things.

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