Apple growers across Australia today launched a fightback against the apple import trade. The move comes following officially authorised shipments of apples being imported from New Zealand. This follows the decision of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2010 that found Australia’s biosecurity and quarantine standards to breach WTO rules. Apple growers have taken the step of branding locally grown apple with an ‘Aussie Apples’ sticker, allowing consumers to choose home-grown apples at the... ...Read more »

Lion, the Kirin-owned food and drinks company, has experienced challenging conditions and declining revenue across its businesses in Australia and New Zealand over the last six months, ending March 31 2011, according to its latest financial figures reported on August 5, 2011. The report shows declines in Lion’s beer, spirits and wine divisions in Australia and New Zealand, and in its dairy and drinks division: Beer, spirits and wine divisions in Australia and New Zealand delivered earnings before... ...Read more »

New Zealand’s Commerce Commission has decided not to hold an inquiry into milk prices after arguing that there is enough competition at retail and wholesale level in the market. Dairy giant Fonterra, formed in 2001 to help promote New Zealand’s dairy exports, collects over 90 per cent of the country’s milk production and sets national prices. The Commission reviewed the way prices were set in New Zealand’s milk sector after complaints that retail prices were too high and... ...Read more »

New Zealand-based beverage company Frucor, maker of V energy drink, has announced that its Managing Director, Mark Cowsill, will retire after 18 years with the company at the end of May 2011. Cowsill has been the guiding influence behind Frucor’s remarkable transition from a small New Zealand juice business, to an approximately $400 million international total-beverage business, purchased in 2009 by Japanese beverage giant Suntory. “This growth has been achieved through strong leadership... ...Read more »

The New Zealand government has blocked Hong Kong-listed Natural Dairy (NZ) Holdings’ bid to acquire Crafar Farms has been rejected. The future of Crafar Farms – and whether Natural Dairy would succeed in its pursuit of the business – has been uncertain for months. That uncertainty grew earlier this month when it emerged that May Wang, the Natural Dairy vice president fronting the bid, had been declared bankrupt. However, the receivers of Carfar Farms still insisted that Natural... ...Read more »

The Australian Government has accepted the Wold Trade Organisation Appellate Body’s decision to allow New Zealand apples to be imported into Australia, after an appeal was rejected this week. The Government said that it has accepted the decision and will now proceed with a science-based review of the import risk analysis for New Zealand apples, to be conducted by Biosecurity Australia. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, and Minister for Trade, Craig Emerson,... ...Read more »

The effective banning of kosher slaughter, known as shechita, in New Zealand, has taken a new turn, with the New Zealand Herald reporting that Agriculture Minister David Carter, the architect of the ban, broke the rules governing his portfolio by considering trade implications when making the original decision. Carter approved animal welfare regulations in the new Commercial Slaughter Code which, by requiring animals to be stunned before killing, effectively made slaughter according to strict kosher... ...Read more »

New Zealand meat processor Silver Fern Farms revealed last week that it had swung to a loss in its most recent financial year after restructuring costs hit its bottom line. For the 12 months to the end of September, the firm made a net operating loss of NZ$800,000, compared to a profit of NZ$5.4m last year. One-off restructuring costs of NZ$7.2m contributed to the loss. Silver Fern’s EBIT halved, falling from NZ$36.3m to NZ$18m. Revenues dropped to NZ$1.81bn from NZ$2.01bn. Silver Fern Farms... ...Read more »

Regulations in New Zealand, requiring Fonterra to supply up to 600 million litres of milk annually to independent processors, are costing the NZ economy up to $450 million by driving down farmgate prices, according to a report by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER). Fonterra accepted the obligation to provide raw milk to start-ups, small niche processors and processors supplying the New Zealand consumer market without their own milk supply. However, wide eligibility criteria mean... ...Read more »

Fonterra has set a new record for the most milk processed in a single day. Commonly known as the peak day, the record was set on Wednesday, 27 October, when the co-operative’s 26 sites throughout the country processed 76.8 million litres of milk.Gary Romano, Managing Director – Fonterra Trade and Operations, says the new record is three million litres up on last year’s record peak. “It’s a real credit to our teams and our plants that we processed all the milk so smoothly. “It... ...Read more »