Listen to The Country online: Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell on Lactalis deal

Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell spoke to The Country's Jamie Mackay today.

Today on The Country radio show, host Jamie Mackay catches up with Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell to take a closer look at the dairy co-op’s farmers’ vote in favour of the $4.2 billion Mainland consumer and related businesses sale to France’s Lactalis.

On with the show:

Miles Hurrell:

Fonterra’s chief executive comments on the overwhelming YES vote from Fonterra farmer shareholders to sell the consumer brands business to Lactalis.

The deal was expected to deliver a tax-free capital return of around $3.2 billion to 8000-plus shareholding farms throughout New Zealand.

The average return to farmer shareholders would be about $392,000.

That’s about 0.7% of GDP.

But not everybody’s happy. Just ask Winston!

Emma Poole:

Today’s farmer panel is one man down, but it does feature the 2023 FMG Young Farmer of the Year and Waikato vet and dairy farmer.

Dr Jacqueline Rowarth:

From a cold and wet Waikato, one of our leading primary sector academics talks about Fonterra, generators and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation conference she attended in Rome on our behalf.

Mark Copeland:

We catch up with the New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Test team captain.

The annual transtasman test runs over two days from tomorrow at the Ashburton A&P Show, where dogs will battle it out to win the prestigious Wayleggo Cup.

Chris Russell:

Our Australian correspondent talks Trump, record lamb and beef prices, why net zero is an ideology, not a policy, and agriculture topping the uni student satisfaction survey.

Listen below: