The outbreak of the Mycoplasma bovis (M.bovis) bacterial disease in dairy farms throughout the country has knocked valuations and eliminated hundreds of millions of dollars in net worth.
Jim van der Poel is one of the industry’s most influential leaders and, as the chairman of DairyNZ, was heavily involved in a government-industry strategy on eliminating the disease. He says the losses will have to be met by funds over and above existing industry levies.
At the announcement in April, he said the agreement offered some certainty.
"Over 99% of our dairy herds in New Zealand have no signs of this disease, and we want to keep it that way," he said. "DairyNZ has been actively – and passionately – working on behalf of our farmers to find a solution.
"We know that moving toward eradication will be a devastating decision for some, and will mean that thousands of animals will have to be culled.”
A recent estimate was a direct cost of $300 million to farmers out of a potential total of $1.2 billion from the culling of up to 126,000 catttle.
Jim and wife Sue van der Poel started on a sharemilking property near Te Awamutu in 1980 when they were milking 130 cows. Today their assets include a third share in Spectrum Group’s seven Canterbury-based Dairy Farms, which collectively milk in excess of 9500 cows and have a targeted production of over four million kg milk solids. Its holdings also include the 2000ha dry-stock property Tower Peak Station.
The van der Poels have interests in several other dairy farms, mainly in the Waipa district. Van der Poel stepped down from the Fonterra board in 2014 after 12 years but was immediately elected on to the board of DairyNZ, the industry’s research, advisory and lobbying organisation.