Public fight to keep iconic Woolnorth farm in Aussie hands

There is a groundswell of local support for ending foreign ownership of Australia's once biggest dairy farm operation.

Various other crowdfunding ideas have already been floated to try and keep the impressive holding in north-west Tasmania in local hands.

The Van Dairy Group, owned by Chinese businessman Xianfeng Lu, has put the remaining properties of the renowned Woolnorth holding in north-west Tasmania on the market.

The sale includes Woolnorth's remaining 9500 hectares (23,475 acres) of land plus the option to buy its vast dairy herd and machinery.

The company once milked more than 11,000 cows across 17,000ha as one of Australia's biggest and oldest dairy operations producing more than 100 million litres of milk annually.

Founded almost 200 years ago, Woolnorth has only ever had foreign ownership - first from the UK, then New Zealand and lastly China.

No price has been suggested by agents charged with the sale but Mr Lu bought the aggregation in 2016 for $280 million when it was much larger although farmland prices have risen much higher since then.

Agents from Nutrien Harcourts said "an opportunity exists for an astute purchaser" for Woolnorth.

Mr Lu himself is said to be "open" to a sale of Woolnorth to government ownership for heritage protection.

"Woolnorth has significant cultural values that are important to Tasmania's history and, indeed, Australia's history too," a spokesperson for Van Dairy Limited said.

"Mr Lu would, of course, be open to discussions with both state and federal government or representative bodies regarding the sale of these assets."

There is also crowdfunding support to buy Woolnorth.

A social media campaign attracted 6000 expressions of interest in just over a day to support a potential crowdfunding callout.

Circular Head Farming Group president and neighbour Steven Fisher may look to "mums and dads investors" in its own crowdfunding campaign.

"There is a lot of wealth in our own community," Mr Fisher said.

Local politicians want the government to step in to protect the iconic property.

Tasmanian politicians have also joined the call for government invention.

Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said: "I personally feel that the state and federal government should consider buying part of this iconic property, especially the original homestead."

Newly elected Braddon independent Craig Garland said the sale was an opportunity to protect important Aboriginal and heritage sites using some of the money earmarked for a Hobart AFL stadium development..

"Instead of the state and federal government committing to spending hundreds of millions on a new AFL football stadium ... they should spend a portion of that on preserving historic locations at Woolnorth while protecting that unique environment, the creatures and the actual Tasmanian devils," Mr Garland said.

The Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania also urged the government to return Woolnorth to Aboriginal ownership.

"The Woolnorth farm exists as it does today because there was a violent and bloody dispossession of Tasmanian Aboriginal people at the prerogative of the Crown," council chair Colin Hughes said.

That call prompted Tasmania's Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Roger Jaensch, to say: "The government is not considering purchasing the Woolnorth property at this time."

The Van Dairy Group struck trouble in 2021 when a government audit found most of the company's then 23 farms had failed to comply with effluent disposal codes.

In February, Fonterra cancelled a milk contract with Van Dairy citing "unresolvable commercial factors".

For all the public debate, Woolnorth still remains a mighty dairy proposition with eight big rotary dairies which can milk up to 8593 dairy cows.

It is still a substantial offering with 4200ha of dedicated dairy area, 10,300 megalitres of irrigation water, 30 homes, 13-stand shearing shed, and extra worker's accommodation.

Those rotary dairies on offer have milked up to 8593 dairy cows.

According to agents, the winning buyer will have the first right to Van Dairy Group's livestock and machinery plus grazing leases on two wind farms.

Woolnorth is for sale by expressions of interest closing on June 12.

For more information contact Tony Maguire from Nutrien Harcourts on 0417 101392.