KEY POINTS:
Dairy giant Fonterra has now completed a round of meetings organised to put the company's proposed business plan to shareholding farmers.
"We had a good turnout to the meetings but obviously not everyone could attend. We are preparing a booklet to send out to all farmers", said spokesman Graeme McMillan today.
Fonterra has been signalling that resolving its capital structure is a vital component of the agenda for the year ahead.
The company previously proposed allowing limited outside investment to provide more funds for growth.
But it shelved that plan before taking it to a vote in May, after farmers raised strong concerns about diluting their ownership and control of the company.
Since then, the Fonterra Shareholders' Council has sought the views of farmers on the capital restructuring issue, and received more than 1,000 submissions.
Unsurprisingly, the overwhelming message coming through was to keep the co-operative structure intact and in farmer control, Radio New Zealand reported last month.
Fonterra chairman Henry van der Heyden acknowledges that control is the key issue for farmers, but he's confident the company and its shareholders can find a solution.
Fonterra says it expects to bring a fresh new proposal to farmers next year.
- NZHERALD STAFF
