Latest Fonterra Stories

By David Barboza Keith Bradsher contributed reporting from Hong Kong. * China said that 19 people had been detained by the police as part of an investigation into how baby formula had become contaminated with an industrial chemical. The formula is implicated in the death of one infant, and at least 432 have been afflicted with kidney problems. The government also said Saturday that the Sanlu Group, China's biggest producer of milk powder formula, had first received complaints about its...

BEIJING -- Investigators believe dairy farmers added a dangerous chemical to milk that has been linked to kidney stones in dozens of babies and one death in China's latest product safety scandal. The government vowed "serious punishment" on Friday after China's biggest milk powder producer recalled 700 tons of baby formula. The official Xinhua News Agency said the powder was tainted with melamine, a toxic chemical used in plastics that contaminated pet food last year. U.S....

Text of report in English by Taiwanese Central News Agency website [By Y.F. Low] Taipei, Sept. 12 (CNA) - A shipment of milk powder imported from China that could have been contaminated with melamine will be recalled and destroyed, a Department of Health official said Saturday. The shipment contained 1,000 25-kg bags, with a total weight of 25 tons. The products, manufactured by the Shijiazhuang Sanlu Group, was imported into Taiwan in June by the Taiwan branch of the New Zealand- based...

A PROBIOTIC -- or good bacteria -- isolated by Fonterra has been shown to be effective in reducing the occurrence of eczema in young children by almost half. The two-year trial of probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain HN001, or DR20, conducted by the University of Otago's Wellington School of Medicine and Auckland University also showed that by the age of two, infants who had been given DR20, but who contracted eczema, had less severe symptoms than children who hadn't taken it. The...

By WOOD, Alan INVESTORS have had second thoughts on entering the dairy sector, given a sudden plunge in global whole milk dairy prices. With whole milk powder prices retreating significantly in the past couple of months, market participants are saying demand for rural land suitable for dairy is lessening and linking it to new production investment. Global Dairy Network director John Shaskey said the latest price being paid for whole milk powder was about US$3000 a metric tonne, a...

By WOOD, Alan Investors have had second thoughts on entering the dairy sector, given a sudden plunge in global whole milk dairy prices. With whole milk powder prices retreating significantly in the last couple of months, market participants are saying demand for rural land suitable for dairy is lessening. Global Dairy Network director John Shaskey said the latest prices being paid for whole milk powder price was around $US3000 a metric tonne, a retreat from recent peaks. One set of...

By EVANS, Ryan FONTERRA has been told to improve the environmental performance of its Kapuni lactose factory by Taranaki's environmental watchdog. During the 2006-07 year, the Taranaki Regional Council investigated five incidents at the Kapuni plant where the company broke the conditions of its resource consents. The breaches related to treatment and discharge of waste water. In one instance Fonterra was fined $750 after an outbreak of sewage fungus in the Kaupokonui River caused by a...

By GALLOWAY, Jill Huge number of dairy farmers hindered by the ongoing wet weather are failing their resource consent inspections. -------------------- A third of the 80 dairy farms inspected by Horizons in the past few weeks do not comply with their resource consents. "And these are serious non- compliances, such as a discharge to the environment, or it is at significant odds with the resource consent, so it has a physical effect," Horizons manager of planning and regulatory, Greg Carlyon...

By JANES, Andrew FONTERRA will face a powerful new competitor across the Tasman with National Foods set to buy Australian co-op Dairy Farmers for $1.1 billion. After a competitive sales process, Dairy Farmers announced yesterday that it would recommend the bid by Kirin-owned National Foods to its farmer shareholders. It will require the approval of at least 75 per cent of its shareholders in a vote scheduled for mid- November. Fonterra pulled out of the race to buy Dairy Farmers in June...

By ST GEORGE, Liz PLANS to set up a new dairy company in Wanganui are forging ahead with a series of farmer meetings around Taranaki next week. Dairy Trust intends to build a milk powder plant in Wanganui and will be starting work on the Affco site shortly. It will start operating on July 1 next year and pick up milk from as far north as New Plymouth, south to Foxton, and 90km east of Wanganui. Dairy Trust is a consortium comprising 36% Affco, 24% Olam, 18% Talleys, 15% Dairy...