Fonterra to close Brightwater milk powder plant

Fonterra has announced that it will close its milk powder plant at its Brightwater site near Nelson, New Zealand, in April 2023.

The plant processes around 0.25% of Fonterra’s overall milk supply into whole milk powder and the move will instead see the milk being processed at its Darfield site.

Milk collection and associated activities will continue at the Brightwater facility, as the dairy company moves its milk transfer activities there from Tuamarina.

Fonterra COO, Fraser Whineray, commented: “Part of our long-term strategy is to direct more milk into our foodservice and consumer business, less into ingredients, and in some cases, to divert product away from the Global Dairy Trade auctions. This, along with forecast capital and maintenance costs, means we’ve made the tough decision to close our milk powder plant at Brightwater.”

He added: “We’re continually working to ensure our assets across the country are as efficient as they can be, changing product mixes and moving more milk into value-add products”.