Fonterra targeted in Green 'food revolution'

What twaddle. The Primary Industries are not 'creaming it'. Maybe some of the big guys are but 'Joe Bloggs'' situation hasn't changed. Why doesn't someone report on increased costs of fuel, labour, compliance etc?? Do the Greens also support hiking up minimum wage even further? They contradict themselves spectacularly when they demand less intensive farming for sustainability but cheaper product???? NZ rely's heavily on the Primary Industries; remember that every dollar that farmer Joe makes is another dollar he can spend at the local shop or on his employees. Let's get real.

Why would Fonterra which is a Co-Operative not a Corporate (thought the greens loved the Co-Operative idea.) need to subsidise New Zealanders for there milk. Would you expect the oil companies or electricity companies to sell at a cheap feek good rate. Why would you legislate against a Co-Operative company that brings in BILLIONS of dollars to the New Zealand economy and improves the standard of living of all Kiwis, thats akin to cutting of your nose to spite your face.

Farmers work hard and are entitilled to a good income. Fonterra dosent even need to supply NZ and could make more by selling offshore.

Simple fact of life, if you want a product you have to pay the going rate, that rate is set on the world market.

If people cant afford it, thats a welfare problem for the government, and nothing to do with Fonterra a hugley successfull Co Operative, the jewel in NZs crown.

Two postings quite explicitly write about legislating Fonterra (#5 & 23). I guess that some of us want to know on what basis they would do that? Return on capital plus an avearge hourly rate for farmers thast reflects the skill required. #38 is correct that the Greens talk of regulating around competition but unfortunately regulations don't always have desired affect. Just look at the level of deforestation over the last few years as forest owners scrambled to avoid "potential" and unspecified penalties.

WHERE does it say that the Greens want to regulate Fonterra?? Half of you guys seem to be reading a different story!

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong but as Fonterra is a cooperative it is owned by it's shareholders who are its suppliers who are farmers or in some cases sharemilkers. If it was a Publicly Listed Company then Dhalgren may be correct but in this case Fonterra and the dairy farmers are one and the same. Residual profits not paid out as part of the milk cheque are I guess allocated to R&D, market access devlopment etc to keep the industry relevant. Thankfully someone is brave enough to do this otherwise NZ's standard of living might take a further hit.

On the Coke matter (as a comparison) I wonder if the Fijian sugar cane farmers get a fair whack of the final price? Perhaps Coke should come under the "Fair trade" banner? Price may rise dramatically!!

As much as this is a great idea for Kiwis it just makes life harder for people in developing and third world countries.

If first world countries started making the prices of food stay at a certain level then we would consume more products here like dairy products.The price in third world counties will go up because of quantity availible to them would less, for those people the high food prices means alot more than it does to us. We might have to buy different food and eat less processed food, they starve, Big Difference!! As much as some families here in NZ feel the pinch because of the current high prices it doesn't compare to what is happening in third world countries.

I don't have an issue with the Greens but some of these policies seem don't seem to be well thought through.

Typical of the Greens to attack the only successful business New Zealand has. Think of the tax Fonterra and the farmers will pay. Think how many bludging beneficiery Liarbour and Green voters that will support.

I think the green party is forgetting that the milk industry is the back bone of NZ, regulating Fonterra will be like to shooting the country in the foot. Fonterra has very little to no say at all in the price of milk overseas. So the fact that the world price of milk is more expensive then the NZ price means that NZ is lucky to get even 4% of their milk supply. Fonterra will have the incentive to export even more than the current 96% of milk output if the price differential becomes too large. Basically if they cap the price of milk in NZ, expect a supply shortage.

Also with higher milk payout for farmers, and arguably an increase in output as a result, will have two major effects. 1: Expect to see the NZ dollar appreciate against the US dollar (or at least remain strong). This means that imports become cheaper which will ultimately put pressure on inflation to fall; this will offset the higher milk price that New Zealanders pay. 2: The increase in income that farmers receive will sooner or later spill over into the rest of the economy, making us all better off.

The Greens living up to their water melon tag - green on the outside and very red in the middle. Socialist envy at its worst. A "harmless" enquiry to use the power of the state against a envied minority. Instead of bagging cockies lets get behind them and applaud their success - their success becomes our success - that's how an economy works.

Hmmm - this might just be me but the fact that a government party wants to dictate to a company on what price things should sell for sounds like eco-communism - be VERY thankful NZ - I am stateside at the moment and here the company rules and any effect of the government to regulate anything is regarded with distain.

The problem here is the free market and oil - the free market is full of hedge fund investors trying to make money on commodities now that the credit market has gone belly up and oil - demand, weak USD and developing countries like India and China subsidizing oil (apparently the Indian national oil chain loses $15 US million A DAY subsidizing oil).

The greens as per usual have some good ideas thrown in with some wacky ones - social housing "Where are they going to get money for that" Seed banks I say this with a bit of ignorance but WHAT varieties of crops do we have that is UNIQUE - and if so why reinvent the wheel - the phenomenal seed bank in Svalbard would do the job.

The greens have definitely grabbed the bull by the horns but it remains to be seen if they have the strength to do anything