Gavan Herlihy National Agricultural Spokesperson
21 December 2000
Opposition welcomes dairy merger
National's Agricultural spokesperson Gavan Herlihy has welcomed the merger between Kiwi Co-operative Dairy Company and
New Zealand Dairy Co-operative.
"Becoming a global food company is a significant step for our single biggest industry. The dairy industry plays a vital
role in helping New Zealand lift its long-term economic outlook."
Mr Herlihy said the international market is 95% of the dairy industry's business and any move to focus on expanding this
market has got to be good for everyone.
"We understand the industry will be looking to Parliament for deregulation and the Opposition fully supports that move.
"Today's announcement is a culmination of the momentum created during the last Government and shows that our $8 billion
dairy industry can make decisions and move forward in a timely and positive way," Mr Herlihy said.
Ends