Shane Ardern National Rural Affairs Spokesperson

21 December 2000

Dairy farming MP salutes merger

"As a dairy farmer I fully appreciate the outcomes that this merger will bring, not only to the industry but also to the rest of New Zealand" National Rural Affairs Spokesperson Shane Ardern said today.

On phone from his Opunake cowshed, Mr Ardern was commenting on this afternoon's merger announcement between Kiwi Co-operative Dairy Company and New Zealand Dairy Co-operative.

"This merger gives the industry the potential to save $300 million through rationalisation. However one of the most important gains will be that the dairy industry will now be able to focus on the international market and not on domestic politics.

"The dairy industry is the largest in New Zealand and has grown to that size despite the predictions of many prominent outside critics'.

"The Dairy Board's gross sales revenue was $7.7 billion in the 1999/2000 season and is expected to go well over $9 billion this season - an impressive performance by anyone's standards," Shane Ardern said.

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