Investor-owned Goodman Fielder has announced that it is buying New Zealand's second largest dairy company - Independent Dairy Producers.

Philippines investor-owned brewer San Miguel is discussing the possible sale of its Australian subsidiary - National Foods.

New Zealand co-operative Fonterra was interested in purchasing National Foods in 2005. Instead, it completed the full purchase of the former co-operative Bonlac.

Dairy Farmers in NSW has been corporatising and is proposing to demutualise in 2008.

Will Fonterra develop an interest in Dairy Farmers? A Fonterra purchase of Dairy Farmers would not, however, strengthen co-operative ownership of the dairy industry in Australia. While Fonterra is a co-operative in New Zealand, it is just another foreign owned company in Australia.

Dairy Farmers
http://www.dairyfarmers.com.au

Fonterra
http://www.fonterra.com
http://www.fonterra.com.au

Goodman Fielder
http://www.goodmanfielder.com.au