Shareholders will meet on June 25 where they will have the final vote on TAF.
mon Couper has resigned as chairman of the Fonterra Shareholders Council, citing his lack of comfort with some aspects of the Trading Among Farmers (TAF) scheme.
The council, which yesterday "overwhelmingly" resolved to support the introduction of TAF, said his resignation was effective immediately.
The council endorsed deputy chairman Ian Brown, from Waikato, to take over as chairman. It thanked Mr Couper for the dedication he brought to the council over the past eight years, Mr Brown said.
Last month, Mr Couper supported the board's decision to give shareholders a final vote on the controversial scheme, saying it was the most important decision in the 10-year history of the co-operative and it was only right that the concerns of shareholders were heard and respected.
He has also previously said that when it came to TAF, it was "100% shareholder ownership and control of the co-op or nothing".
Mr Couper worked in banking in New Zealand and the UK before taking over the family dairy farm in Waipu in 2000. He was elected to the Shareholders Council in 2004 and chairman in 2010.
Fonterra chairman Sir Henry van der Heyden welcomed the council's support of TAF. The board regretted Mr Couper's decision but, if he was uncomfortable, he had "done the right thing by the co-operative".
Shareholders will meet on June 25 where they will have the final vote on TAF.
