
Too little...too late.
After recent criticism (Farmgirl being among them) Ravensdown have decided to bring out the PR swagger Kings to persuade arable farmers that their involvement in the animal nutrition market (namely the palm kernel market) is actually good for them.
And I expect they will do a magnificent job of sugar coating what is still a kick in the teeth to their cropping farmers, but they forget one thing, and that is while they spin it anyway they like there is still no way that any palm kernel sold from Ravensdown benefits a substantial number of its shareholders.
Regardless of the waffle they express about how it is encouraging some North Island farmers to add grain as well as palm kernel to their mixes and how they are actually trying to help our industry, it does not disguise the fact that they should not be in that market in the first place.
As I've said before Ravensdown is a farming co-operative. It is not there for dairy farmers alone, sheep farmers alone or cropping farmers alone. All we ask is that we have fertiliser at decent prices and leave the animal nutrition market alone.
So it is with trepidation that we will attend the meeting with the big guns on the 7th April. I'm sure, as happened the last time I posted on this matter, that I will have some anonymous poor comments again from directors and those trying to protect their own jobs but I do it for a valid reason - in the name of trying to achieve fairness across the board and keep the co-operative honest.