Farmers want checks on Mengniu's Lion Dairy bid

Sue Mitchell and John Kehoe

Nov 25, 2019 – 12.33pm

Subscribe to gift this article

Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.

Already a subscriber?

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is under pressure from dairy farmers and regional politicians to closely scrutinise the $600 million sale of one of Australia's largest milk processors, Lion Dairy & Drinks, to China Mengniu Dairy Company.

Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce called for the deal to be "paused", while dairy farmers struggling to stay afloat amid soaring costs for feed said the sale should be conditional on a floor price for the farm gate or retail price of milk.

Sue Mitchell writes the fortnightly Window Shopping column for the Financial Review and has covered retailing for over 30 years.

John Kehoe is economics editor at Parliament House, Canberra. He writes on economics, politics and business. John was Washington correspondent covering Donald Trump’s first election. He joined the Financial Review in 2008 from Treasury.