Silver Fern Farms

Meat Industry Excellence's chairman has stepped down and is campaigning for a seat on the board of Silver Fern Farms (SFF).

Silver Fern Farms chairman Eoin Garden recently announced his intention to stand down from the board at the company's annual meeting in December. He speaks to agribusiness reporter Sally Rae about his tenure.

West Otago farmer Richard Young has stepped down as chairman of Meat Industry Excellence to seek election to the board of Silver Fern Farms.

A suggestion that supplier workshops organised by Silver Fern Farms contradict the ''openness and transparency'' that farmers are demanding in the red-meat industry has been strongly rejected by chief executive Keith Cooper.

Silver Fern Farms is considering moving its Dunedin headquarters into the former chief post office as the anchor tenant.

Silver Fern Farms is investing about $1.4 million in an energy management initiative that it says will deliver cost savings of $700,000 a year within two years.

Silver Fern Farms has announced a net operating loss after tax of $31.1 million from total revenue of $2 billion for the year ended September, continuing the trend of poor but well-signalled results from meat processors.

Silver Fern Farms is concerned water quality standards proposed by the Otago Regional Council could force it to close its century-old meat-processing plant near Balclutha.

Silver Fern Farms chief executive Keith Cooper has resigned as a director of Beef and Lamb New Zealand and the New Zealand Meat Board, questioning Beef and Lamb's future role and relevance.

Silver Fern Farms has reported a remarkable turnaround in fortunes, recording an operating surplus of $40.6 million for the year ended September 30, on turnover of $2.1 billion - from the previous year's $8 million loss on turnover of $1.8 billion.

A project, managed by Silver Fern Farms (UK), has been launched in the United Kingdom and New Zealand to assess how software can be used to improve grassland management on livestock farms.

Silver Fern Farms has increased its presence in the beef processing sector with the purchase of a a plant in Waikato, while also announcing plans to build a high-tech beef processing plant on its nearby Te Aroha site.