Friday, March 29, 2024

PULPIT: Get back in touch with farmers

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As I sat and watched Lucas Paravicini, hand on heart, telling us how sorry he was for the $433 million lost in China and the $183m loss in the Danone debacle, which might not be over yet, I could not help but feel I have been here before and think “I am over this”.
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They went through their well-oiled presentation, alluding to answers to questions they thought we might ask, giving just enough information that perhaps our questions were answered and we would look silly asking them. 

I am really over this.

Very good questions were asked. 

What about the Chinese government propping up Beingmate for two years before our purchase? The accounting system used by Beingmate which was unacceptable and due diligence should have told us to stay away from? Very good questions which were swotted away with hand on heart and a head hung saying “Yes, in hindsight”.

Well, once again we find ourselves thinking “We don’t pay you for hindsight”.

Three dairy farms on the Rangitaiki Plains, within a few kilometres of us, are leaving dairying for beef and many more farms are for sale but not moving. Not only do we have problems bleeding milk to other processors but the industry as a whole has the problem of milk leaving full stop. When I asked one farmer why he was leaving he simply said “I am over this”.

When in Rotorua, Brent Goldsack gave an impassioned speech in answer to our discontent about how we must stick together, support our co-op, be loyal and be proud, I looked around the room and thought “We are all over this”.

We are definitely over the election process which this year allowed John Wilson to hand pick his directors. 

We are over feeling like second class citizens in this co-op that we built.

We are over the lack of consultation with directors and over the half-truths and evasive answers we get. 

We are over being told the Shareholder Council is our voice. 

We are over the never-been-on-a-farm-before people telling us we must mow our tanker tracks along with other constant demands but never an explanation as to why. 

In New Zealand dairying we have been very successful building our businesses and creating a great co-operative.  I am not over co-operatives and fully believe our strength is in our numbers but I am over Fonterra. 

I believe our leadership at the top is sadly lacking and it is time for a change. I am sorry John but now might be a good time.

Fonterra has a strategy to touch the lives of two billion people. We seem to go from disaster to disaster chasing this strategy. Perhaps our new strategy could be let’s connect with farmers at home. Let’s make them feel good about getting up in the morning.  Let’s make them proud. 

We want to feel part of this company we built, we want to feel proud, not just because we are told to be proud but because we feel we are a fully valued member of a great co-operative. 

We don’t like feeling we are over it.

Linda Presow Virbickas

Bay of Plenty

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