Expansion everywhere

I get the feeling that dairy is moving to a place where co-operation is the new normal, with the news that China’s Beingmate has purchased Fonterra’s Darnum, Australia plant in a co-operative joint venture with the New Zealand giant. Meanwhile, Fonterra has opened an applications laboratory in Guangzhou, China. The recent finalising of the Trans Pacific Partnership between the US and 11 other countries, ranging from Canada to Malaysia, also falls into this category of international trade.

That being said, the latter development may leave others out in the cold, such as Europe. But, I think the EU has a pretty solid set of negotiators, and the desirability of European produce means that countries will always be willing to buy from EU-28. It is one of Europe’s USPs, as they say.

People always worry, and so they should. But the new world order is one of more trade, not less. It may be with multiple countries, it may be between two countries, or even with two large companies in countries. If people work at it and continue to talk and negotiate, it can only be progress for dairy, I think.