Fonterra's global ambassodor, All Blacks capt. arrives in SL
28 March 2013 03:08 am
Fonterra brand ambassador and New Zealand All Blacks rugby captain, Richie McCaw visited Fonterra's milk processing site in Biyagama yesterday, to witness first-hand the company's contribution to the local dairy industry. As Fonterra's global ambassador, McCaw is visiting Sri Lanka to learn more about the business and he was also introduced to Fonterra's key focus area, which is national dairy development.
Almost 50 Sri Lankan dairy farmers also attended the event along with other Fonterra officials.
Speaking at the event, Fonterra Co-operative Affairs Managing Director Todd Muller stated that Fonterra has been working alongside the dairy industry in Sri Lanka for generations and was committed to stepping up its support for the sector.
“We support the government's drive to build a strong national dairy industry in Sri Lanka and we want to work alongside them to achieve this,” he said. Fonterra is a world leader in dairy and is committed to utilize its knowledge and expertise to drive development and growth.“Bringing Richie, a world leader in rugby, to Sri Lanka demonstrates our strong commitment to the country and the dairy industry,” Muller noted.
Fonterra will continue to support the local dairy industry by providing world-class technology in the industry, in order to improve productivity and minimize waste. He went on to state that Fonterra was very passionate about the dairy sector in Sri Lanka and the company also has experts in the field of dairy farming, working in the country as expatriates, sharing their knowledge and expertise with the local farming community.
Muller was referring to the appointment of Denise Burrell as Fonterra's Extension Farm Manager, who has over 20 years of experience in training dairy farmers in best practices.
Meanwhile, the All Blacks captain pointed out that like rugby, Kiwis love dairy and producing milk is a big part of New Zealand and what they do.
“Our dairy industry was founded around 200 years ago and Fonterra is built on this tradition and expertise,” he added.
“It's fantastic to see Fonterra using this knowledge to help develop the national dairy industry in Sri Lanka,” McCaw further said.