Philip Tracy led Australia’s largest dairy processor through a period of structural change and severe milk price cuts to prevent its collapse.

Murray Goulburn’s chief executive Gary Helou resigned in the first half of 2016 in the first round of restructuring when the co-op was forced to slash its milk price.

The new chairman comes with wide industry experience, having held board positions at feed supplier Ridley Corporation, Newcrest Mining and MacArthur Coal.

New chapter

Adam Jenkins. President of United Dairy Farmers, said Sparks’ appointment marks the start of a new chapter for the co-op.

“The industry has been calling for this change for over a year in what has been an extremely challenging period for Tracy and his board, but we respect that he has stood down,” Jenkins said.

Throughout this period, the former chairman said he was “ultimately responsible for the stewardship of Murray Goulburn that led to the dramatic and retrospective cuts to farm gate milk prices” in April last year.

Read more

Drop in Australian milk collections