What does alert level 4 mean for Fonterra?

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Fonterra is well-equipped to deal with the worldwide changes brought about by the Covid-19 outbreak and also alert level 4 in New Zealand, says Judith Swales.

"Our co-op is strong and we can adapt to change in the global market."

Swales, CEO for Asia Pacific at Fonterra, told The Country Early Edition's Rowena Duncum that the Government's announcement the co-op was an essential service was "great news."

"That means as part of the food supply chain, the collection of our farmers' milk and our operation will be prioritised ... it also means we will continue to provide dairy nutrition - getting the goodness of New Zealand farmers' milk to the world."

Listen below:

All Fonterra employees were following very strict Government guidelines to protect themselves and the community from Covid-19 said Swales.

While Farm Source retail stores will be closed, customers could continue to shop online.

"We are continuing to keep the wheels turning and to keep the business going."

The health and safety of the co-op's people was "our number one priority" during alert level 4 said Swales.

"We've put in place a number of precautions to keep our employees safe, which includes social distancing [and] using technology to carry out meetings or conversations that would usually happen face-to-face."

Swales added that employees over 70-years-old and with underlying health problems had been sent home, along with all staff able to work from home.

Temperature testing was also on-sites for employees required to be in the workplace, to make sure everybody stayed safe during the outbreak.

Also in today's interview: Swales updated what was happening in Asia and the Australian markets.