Food and Agribusiness
We know the food and agriculture sector. As a firm founded on the land to support farmers and graziers, we understand the issues and concerns of the sector better than any other. Our specialised legal services support clients ranging from producers and distributors, corporates, government agencies, financiers, and investors, to those involved in research and development, marketing, manufacturing, processing, transport, exporting, and retail.
Our experience spans the agribusiness life cycle from supply chain management through to structuring and production focussing on sub-sectors of primary producers beef, grain, cotton, sugar, horticulture, and aquaculture.
Many of our clients are industry leaders and we act for some of Australia’s largest public and private companies, cooperatives and family-based operators as well as many international conglomerates. Our expertise includes rural property transactions (sales, acquisitions, tenders, and auctions), environment and water issues, capital raising, commercial contracts, and family business restructuring. We understand agribusiness from every angle and work closely with our experts in property, corporate, foreign investment, estate administration and succession planning, taxation, and technology to provide a holistic and tailored service.
In an expanding global market, our experience focusses on the future helping our clients to anticipate the impact of challenges that lie ahead, whether it is caused by the forces of nature, market fluctuations, or government policy to minimise business impacts.
To find out more, contact Duncan Bedford.
To read our latest insights, click here.
Experience
QIC
Acting for QIC in its agreement to acquire an 80 percent interest in North Australian Pastoral Company (NAPCo), a vertically integrated beef business comprising 8.5 million hectares across Queensland and the Northern Territory and approximately 178,000 head of cattle.
Consolidated Pastoral Company
Managing every aspect of a complicated transaction for Carlton Hill Station in Western Australia involving overseas investors, Ministerial Consent, International Board Approvals, Foreign Investment Review Board Approvals and Chinese Government approval.
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
Advising on the acquisition of Constellation Brands, which involved the acquisition of vineyards and distribution rights in South Australia.
Camm Agricultural Group
Acting for Camm Agricultural Group in its sale and leaseback of three cattle properties in Northern Queensland to Rural Funds Management for $72.5 million.
Isola Capital
Advising Isola Capital, a Hong Kong based multifamily private equity business, on numerous acquisitions of key industry permanent crop assets, with a particular focus on apple and citrus fruit farms in Queensland and New South Wales.
Mackay Sugar
Advising on the acquisition of another Australian-owned sugar company and joint venture acquisition of a significant cane farm.
Laguna Bay Pastoral Company
Advising on the purchase of almond groves by an international syndicate, one of Australia’s largest rural land purchases.
Phillip Yates Family Holdings Limited
Advising on the purchase of Pioneer Australia Seeds.
Rural Funds Management
Advising on the accelerated entitlement offer to further agribusiness acquisitions in vineyards, poultry, almonds, cotton, macadamia and cattle.