Fonterra To Develop UHT Plant At Waitoa

27 February 2013

Fonterra To Develop UHT Plant At Waitoa

Fonterra today announced it will be investing more than $100 million in a new UHT milk processing plant at its Waitoa site in the Waikato.

Fonterra Chief Executive Officer Theo Spierings said the new plant would enable the co-operative to meet growing demand for UHT products in Asia.

“The new plant will enable us to increase our UHT production by 100 per cent over the next few years. The plant will include five new UHT lines that will produce a range of products including UHT white milk and UHT cream for the foodservice sector.

“Products from the new plant will be bound for Asia markets and that will allow us to concentrate all our domestic UHT production – including Fonterra Milk for Schools – at Takanini in Auckland.”

Mr Spierings said that together with the construction opportunities and the creation of an additional 50 jobs, the development would provide new opportunities for Fonterra farmers in the North Island.

“Milk supply in New Zealand is seasonal because it follows the grass growth curve. However UHT production requires year round milk supply so we will be talking to our farmers about the opportunity for more of them to take up winter milk contracts. This will enable them to take advantage of the milk price premium that these contracts include.

“A recent survey of our farmers indicated that a good proportion of them in the Upper North Island would be keen to take up winter milk contracts,” Mr Spierings said.

About Everyday Nutrition
Everyday Nutrition is dairy nutrition that families use on a daily basis. Fonterra aims to be on the breakfast table in the morning, in the shopping trolley every week, and with consumers throughout their lives. The current offerings include beverages (chilled, UHT), cheese (spreadable, processed), cultured (yoghurt and dairy desserts), fats and spreads, powdered milk and cream, both for direct consumption and for cooking at home.

For millions of consumers in emerging markets some more dairy in the diet everyday is an experience that is becoming more affordable by the year as their economies develop.

About Fonterra
Fonterra is a global leader in dairy nutrition – the preferred supplier of dairy ingredients to many of the world’s leading food companies. Fonterra is also a market leader with our own consumer dairy brands in Australia/New Zealand, Asia/Africa, Middle East and Latin America.

The farmer-owned New Zealand co-operative is the largest processor of milk in the world, producing more than two million tonnes of dairy ingredients, value added dairy ingredients, specialty ingredients and consumer products every year. Drawing on generations of dairy expertise, Fonterra is one of the largest investors in dairy based research and innovation in the world. Our more than 16,000 staff work across the dairy spectrum from advising farmers on sustainable farming and milk production, to ensuring we live up to exacting quality standards and delivering every day on our customer promise in more than 100 markets around the world.

ENDS

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