The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

How a tweet from Joe Biden injected life into a2 Milk's share price

Jamie Gray
By Jamie Gray
Business Reporter·NZ Herald·
30 May, 2022 05:45 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Photo / AP

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Photo / AP

A2 Milk's share price has been in the doldrums for months.

Until today.

By early afternoon the stock was up 54c or 11.5 per cent at $5.23 on higher than normal volume.

The reason?

US President Joe Biden said in a message on Twitter on Friday that 27.5 million bottles of formula was on its way to the United States from ASX-listed Bubs to help out with the formula shortage there.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

I’ve got more good news: 27.5 million bottles of safe infant formula manufactured by Bubs Australia are coming to the United States.

We’re doing everything in our power to get more formula on shelves as soon as possible.

— President Biden (@POTUS) May 27, 2022

When trade opened this morning, Bubs' share price rocketed up to A72c from A49c in response to the news.

A2 Milk - often seen as being in the same cohort as Bubs in as much as their product is outsourced - was caught up in the excitement.

"Bubs is sending infant formula on a jet plane to the US to help out with the shortage," Harbour Asset Management senior analyst Oyvinn Rimer said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I think we are seeing a sympathy response in a2 Milk," he said.

"A2 Milk is piggy-backing on that story."

The US infant formula industry is dominated by just four big players.

Last week, the US started taking product from Germany under the Biden administration's Operation Fly Formula programme.

The US shortage has been exacerbated by the closure of formula maker Abbott Nutrition's plant in February after the plant failed several inspections from the US Food and Drug Administration.

A2 Milk's share price has in recent days had a $4 in front of it, sinking to $4.67 last week.

The share price peaked at $21.51 in July 2020.

A2 Milk's managing director and CEO David Bortolussi said a2 Milk had submitted an application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week under the temporary enforcement discretion to supply infant milk formula.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He said a statement that a2 Milk was standing by to assist the US government, FDA and trade partners to help parents and caregivers gain access to infant formula, subject to stock availability.

"We are able to provide support as one of the leading international infant milk brands, leveraging our existing US presence and distribution capability," he said.

The company supplies its milk - such contains just the beta protein and not the combination of a1 and a2 contained in standard milk, to about 27,000 stores in the US.

The company's share price has been under downward pressure after its once explosive earnings growth fell to more sedate levels due to Covid-19 disruption of the unofficial daigou trade channel, which has been an important part of a2 Milk's business model.

Increased competition in China - a2 Milk's biggest infant formula market - has also been a factor.

In its latest result, a2 Milk's net profit dropped by 53.3 per cent to $56.1 million in the first half to December, following on from a 79 per cent slump in its earnings in the year to last June.

The near-collapse of the daigou trade in formula from Australia to China meant millions of dollars worth of stock nearing its use-by date had to be destroyed.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from The Country

Premium
The Country

Could a lab blunder replace 1080 poison and solve NZ’s rabbit plague?

27 Jun 10:10 PM
The Country

'Great promise': Young inventor's wool pod wows at Fieldays

27 Jun 05:02 PM
The Country

'It's security': Push for KiwiSaver access to aid young farmers

27 Jun 05:00 PM

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Premium
Could a lab blunder replace 1080 poison and solve NZ’s rabbit plague?

Could a lab blunder replace 1080 poison and solve NZ’s rabbit plague?

27 Jun 10:10 PM

A non-deadly alternative to 1080 is being developed which leaves pests sterile.

'Great promise': Young inventor's wool pod wows at Fieldays

'Great promise': Young inventor's wool pod wows at Fieldays

27 Jun 05:02 PM
'It's security': Push for KiwiSaver access to aid young farmers

'It's security': Push for KiwiSaver access to aid young farmers

27 Jun 05:00 PM
Remembering a strawberry pioneer

Remembering a strawberry pioneer

27 Jun 05:00 PM
Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style
sponsored

Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP