This is what they said:
Gray Baldwin
Grant Rowan – Fonterra is going to win this battle.
Supplier loss is a significant concern.
The first thing we have to do is drive performance so the company is performing better.
It should be hard for the other dairy companies to compete with us through leveraging Fonterra’s scale and strength.
We should be better.
People might compete for our milk and lose money in the short term, but in the long term we have to send them a strong message Fonterra is going to win this battle.
To achieve that we need to continue to have a transparent milk price and it needs to be a good milk price.
We need to also ensure that we’ve got a competitive dividend and that returns from investing in, and being a shareholder in, Fonterra over the medium term will match returns a farmer can get from investing in other parts of their business.
The other thing Fonterra should do to stop the bleeding is work harder to support onfarm profitability, while we continue to ensure we have achievable and evidence-based environmental regulations, and that we leverage Fonterra’s scale to continue to drive down costs inside the farmgate.
We have a wildly volatile milk price so we have to control farm costs to be competitive. Fonterra can leverage its scale through RD1 and perhaps other parts of the business, to ensure we control our production costs inside the farmgate.
And we must ensure Fonterra has the most efficient and effective supply chain.
I have a range of experience working with range of groups and boards so I think I can slot into that environment and make a contribution from early on.
I’m happy with my results from CAP (assessment panel) and think they support my governance skills.
One of the things I bring is that I’m an independent thinker and not easily swayed. I bring an analytical mind and an ability to assess things.
The other important thing I bring to the board is an understanding of farming from the grassroots up, having worked my way up to farm ownership. I understand what is important to the farmer as well as to the business.
Having Fonterra as a strong co-operative is essential for all dairy farmers in New Zealand and I want it to thrive in the future.
