Silver Fern Farms and Shanghai Maling completed their partnership yesterday.

Silver Fern Farms is consulting with staff at its North Island Wairoa mutton processing plant and its South Island Mossburn venison plant on options for closing the two small sites.

Hope for better lamb prices this season appear to be evaporating quicker than a summer shower.

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.

Silver Fern Farms and Shanghai Maling say they are contining to work towards completion of the $261m investment and partnership.

Silver Fern Farms' board has called on a group of minority shareholders to withdraw their call for a special meeting.

An eclectic consortium of political, industry and business interests are seeking to overturn Silver Fern Farms' (SFF) partnership with Chinese investor Shanghai Maling.

Silver Fern Farm's 6000 farmer shareholders could be in the gun for millions of dollars in penalty payments and costs if the company's proposed merger is not settled by June 30.

SFF is closing its Islington venison processing plant and has begun consulting staff.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has announced a $6.9 million investment over three years in to 25 new projects through the Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF).