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New Zealand Dairy Board

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61-530: The New Zealand Dairy Board (NZDB) was a statutory board in control of the export of all New Zealand dairy products from its formation in 1923 until 2001. It operated through a global network of marketing subsidiaries. In 2001, the Dairy Board was merged with the two largest New Zealand dairy cooperatives (which represented 96% of the industry) to a company initially called GlobalCo, but shortly afterwards renamed Fonterra . The merger required approval from

122-427: A 25% discount to the freely traded value. The third step, titled "Trading Among Farmers", involves more far-reaching change to Fonterra's capital structure. The co-operative would no longer be obliged to issue or redeem shares at a price established via an independent valuation process. Instead, farmers would buy or sell shares among themselves at market prices through a farmer-only share trading market. This would have

183-529: A 40 by 40-metre banner reading 'Fonterra Climate Crime'. Greenpeace was protesting about Fonterra's use of brown coal ( lignite ) at the nearby Edendale Fonterra plant. Greenpeace alleged that the Edendale plant will burn 179,000 tonnes of lignite, which will release over 250,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. In response to the protest, Fonterra said, "We use 13.9 percent less energy to produce each tonne of export product than we did in 2003. That's equivalent to

244-430: A bet on its own creditworthiness to conjure up an asset out of thin air. After his arrest, Tanzi reportedly admitted during questioning at Milan 's San Vittore prison that he diverted funds from Parmalat into Parmatour and elsewhere. The family football and tourism enterprises were financial disasters as well, as Tanzi attempted to rival Berlusconi by buying Odeon TV, only to sell it at a loss of about €45 million. Tanzi

305-433: A controlling interest. The aim was to give more access to funds for global growth. Praised by some as a bold move which would allow better access to outside capital, the proposals encountered significant opposition from both farmer shareholders and the government (who would be required to pass enabling legislation). Despite including a range of safeguards, farmers were clearly concerned at the risk of losing control; in what

366-528: A global commitment to protecting the environment. Sustainability, good environmental practice and environmental improvement are cornerstones of Fonterra's environmental commitment." Fonterra claims to have a number of initiatives such as the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord , relating to environmental protection to achieve this policy. In December 2011, the Green Party questioned Fonterra's credibility and

427-461: A government-appointment administrator ( commissario ). Enrico Bondi was named commissario . Calisto Tanzi was detained hours after the firm was declared officially insolvent in late December and admitted that there was a hole of €8 billion in Parmalat's accounts, but denied any cover-up. The arrest of five other executives followed. The auditors of the administration eventually determined that

488-541: A higher payout to dairy farmers. The first two steps of capital structure change received good support from farmer shareholders at Fonterra's annual meeting in November 2009. The first step allowed farmers to hold shares above their level of annual milk production; farmers could now own an additional 20% of "dry" shares (i.e. up to a maximum of 1.2 shares per kgMS). There were also enhanced incentives for farmers to hold shares even if their production falls. The rules about

549-527: A move to address non-compliance with regional council dairy effluent rules. The 2012 independent audit spurred further progress in this area with Fonterra announcing that suppliers will be required to complete fencing of Accord waterways by June 2013. Whether this will occur is yet to be seen. In February 2008, the inaugural Fonterra Environmentalist of the Year was announced at the Beehive . The Award continues

610-748: A partnership between Keep New Zealand Beautiful and Fonterra. Fonterra is also a Corporate Sponsor of the Society and each year teams of staff from the company's manufacturing sites participate in the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Clean Up Week campaign, clearing rubbish from around roadsides, sports fields, parks and beaches. These activities have been criticised as token however as they have limited impacts on preventing stock from entering waterways and in assisting farmer to implement more effective fertiliser regimes that could cut farmers costs and improve water quality. Fonterra

671-506: A subsidiary of French group Lactalis (with fuller control since 2019). Today, Parmalat is a company with a global presence, having operations in Europe , North America , South America , Australia , China , and South Africa . Still specializing in UHT milk and milk derivatives (varieties of yogurt , cheese , butter , ice cream , etc.), the group also sells fruit juices distributed under

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732-533: A sustainable supply of palm kernel "and ensuring we do not support deforestation, directly or indirectly." Fonterra is a member of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil to ensure it was informed or sustainability issues in South-East Asia and "to actively contribute to more robust sustainability certification systems." Fonterra was also the subject of Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand protests off

793-671: A trend of consolidation, where the co-operatives merged and became larger and fewer in number. By the end of the 1990s, there were only four co-operatives nationwide: the Waikato-based New Zealand Dairy Group , the Taranaki-based Kiwi Co-operative Dairies , Westland Milk Products , and Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company . Fonterra was formed in 2001 from the merger of the two largest co-operatives, New Zealand Dairy Group and Kiwi Co-operative Dairies, together with

854-514: Is New Zealand's largest producer of biofuel, processing a waste stream from casein manufacture into bio-ethanol. The company produces around 20 million litres of premium ethanol annually. Since 2004, Fonterra has produced ethanol from whey, a by-product of casein, in the Edgecumbe, Tirau and Reporoa plants. In 2008, Fonterra began supplying Gull Petroleum with ethanol from its Edgecumbe plant. The fuel has significant environmental benefits as it

915-965: Is a significant cause of climate change, and loss of bio-diversity. Greenpeace campaign director Chris Harris said only 4 per cent of palm oil came from sustainable sites. Greenpeace stated that forests were being cleared for the planting of the trees that produce palm oil. In August 2016, Fonterra announced a new palm products sourcing standard that was developed in consultation with key supply partners, and following discussions with Greenpeace that began in December 2015. "The new standard requires Fonterra to purchase on segregated supply palm oil by 2018, and to work with suppliers of palm products to ensure that plans are in place for full traceability to plantation by 2018", said Fonterra's director of social responsibility, Carolyn Mortland. On 17 November 2009, Greenpeace members protested at Solid Energy 's New Vale opencast lignite mine near Gore, New Zealand , by unfurling

976-424: Is an Italian dairy and food corporation which is a subsidiary of French multinational company Lactalis . It was founded by Calisto Tanzi in 1961. Having become the leading global company in the production of long-life milk using ultra-high-temperature processing , the company collapsed in 2003 with a €14bn ($ 20bn; £13bn) hole in its accounts in what remains Europe's biggest bankruptcy. Since 2011, it has been

1037-552: Is exported). It also operates a fast-moving consumer goods business for dairy products, Fonterra Brands. Fonterra has a number of subsidiaries and joint-venture companies operating in markets around the world. In 2005, the company purchased a large factory in Dennington, Victoria , Australia, from Nestlé , after they moved out of the collection of milk from farmers and the manufacture of powdered milk in Australia. Also in 2005

1098-575: Is renewable and biodegradable. In July 2016, Fonterra announced that their tanker fleet was switching to ZBioD (Z Energy's biodiesel fuel) as a foundation customer. Chief Operating Officer Global Operations, Robert Spurway said "the move to biodiesel has the potential to reduce emissions for the tankers using it up to four per cent each year, and the partnership is an important milestone for Fonterra." In 2006, Forest and Bird asked Fonterra to 'clean up its act', instead of obtaining consent to continue to discharge 8,500 cubic metres per day of wastewater into

1159-560: Is required by Fonterra to protect streams and that evaluating success in this area may be better carried out by an independent third party auditor. In July 2007, the Green Party called on Fonterra to use financial penalties on its suppliers who were " dirty dairying ", and to particularly penalise the 'recidivist polluters' the Crafar Farms . In 2010, Fonterra launched its every farm every year initiative. Fonterra plans to check every farm's effluent management infrastructure every year in

1220-604: Is the sixth-largest dairy company in the world as of 2022, as well as the largest in the Southern Hemisphere . Fonterra was established in October 2001 following the merger of the country's two largest dairy co-operatives, New Zealand Dairy Group (NZDG) and Kiwi Cooperative Dairies, with the New Zealand Dairy Board . The name Fonterra comes from Latin fons de terra , meaning " spring from

1281-474: Is the current chairperson and in March 2020, he foreshadowed that he would step down in November 2020. In June 2020, Peter McBride was announced as Monaghan's successor. In November 2007, the board of directors announced a two-year consultation programme regarding their preferred capital re-structuring option: putting the business operations in a separate publicly listed company, with the co-operative maintaining

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1342-637: The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine . The company had exported NZ$ 240 million worth of produce to Russia in 2021. On 21 March, Fonterra closed its office in Moscow and withdrew from its joint venture with Russian company Unifood . In mid May 2024, Fonterra announced plans to sell its global consumer business as part of a shift towards becoming a global business-to-business supplier of dairy nutrition products. The company's consumer business brands included Anchor , Mainland , Kapiti , Anlene, Anmum, Fernleaf, Western Star, and Perfect Italiano; which comprise 15% of

1403-652: The Commerce Commission , which it declined, so a special Act of Parliament, the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act 2001 was passed allowing the merger to occur. Fonterra Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is a New Zealand multinational publicly traded dairy co-operative owned by New Zealand farmers. The company is responsible for approximately 30% of the world's dairy exports and with revenue exceeding NZ $ 22 billion, making it New Zealand's largest company. It

1464-638: The Galbani , Invernizzi, Locatelli and Cademartori brands in Italy and is controlled by the Besnier family, began to acquire Parmalat shares. Lactalis quickly purchased nearly 30% of the company on the open market and in July 2011, succeeded in its €2.5 billion takeover offer, reaching a control of 80% shares at €2.6 per share. In 2015, revenues reached €6.42 billion and EBITDA €444.5 million. On 27 December 2016,

1525-545: The Manawatu River . Fonterra responded to Forest and Bird's request, agreeing to treat wastewater it discharges into the Manawatu River, greatly reducing its impact on the river. Treatment will be phased in so that by 2015 the discharge will be treated to a level where the water will be fit to swim in year-round. In 2010, Fonterra signed a voluntary agreement with local councils and freezing works to clean up

1586-632: The New Zealand Dairy Board , which had been the marketing and export agent for all the co-operatives. Fonterra effectively has monopsony control of the New Zealand domestic and export dairy industry. The merger was initially turned down by the New Zealand Commerce Commission , but later approved by the New Zealand Government, with subsequent legislation deregulating the dairy industry, allowing for

1647-914: The New Zealand Dairy Research Institute (NZDRI) was founded in Palmerston North as part of the Department of Scientific Industrial Research , which was renamed to the Fonterra Research and Development Centre (FRDC) when Fonterra was formed in 2001. FRDC is purportedly one of the largest dairy research centres in the world, and as of 2019, it hosts several hundred engineers, scientists and researchers and holds 350 milk related patents. A large number of technologies involving whey , casein , lactoferrin , nisin , anhydrous milk fat , as well as cheesemaking and milk powder production have been developed at

1708-566: The 1980s, becoming listed on the Milan stock exchange in 1990, and expanding further in the 1990s. By 22 April 2002, Parmalat's share price had reached a record and the company was valued at €3.7bn, employing over 30,000 people in 30 countries. The company began to expand and had listed in its portfolio amongst other things: an expansion in the space of a decade from six countries into ownership of ParmaTour (a travel group) and Odeon TV , Parma F.C. , Paulista Futebol Clube and S.E. Palmeiras . In

1769-496: The 75% threshold required for a favourable vote. In May 2021, Fonterra started a consultation process to seek farmer feedback on potential options to change its capital structure. Based on farmer feedback over the consultation period as well as further expert advice, a proposal was put forward in September 2021 to move to a Flexible Shareholding structure, aimed at giving farmers more financial flexibility. In December 2021,

1830-546: The French group, which controls 87.74% of Parmalat, activated the delisting procedure trying to withdraw it from the stock exchange listing. Lactalis prepared to delist Parmalat in 2016, with a buyout offer at €2.8 per share to acquire the remaining 12%, then raised to €3 but eventually failed due to opposition by hedge fund Amber and others. In December 2018, Lactalis was thought to have almost reached 95% shares at an open market price of around €2.85/share and to be about to launch

1891-476: The Port of Tauranga on 16 September 2009 and Port Taranaki on 5 February 2011, where Greenpeace activists invaded ships carrying palm kernel animal feed, destined for dairy farms. Palm kernel imports went from 0.4 tonnes in 1999 to 455,000 tonnes in 2007 and then to 1.1 million tonnes in 2008, one quarter of the world's palm-based animal feed. Greenpeace says that deforestation for the production of palm products

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1952-500: The banks and auditing firms it sued for negligence and aiding in the fraud of former Parmalat leadership. In 2005, Vicenzi bought from Parmalat the unprofitable bakery plant of Nusco , opened in 1984 for political reasons because it was the home town of Democrazia Cristiana chieftain Ciriaco De Mita . By 2011, Parmalat had grown cash to €1.5 billion. In March 2011, the French multinational Lactalis, which already owns

2013-525: The basis of data collected by Fonterra. The integrity of this data was later questioned when a 2012 independent report commissioned by MAF indicated that while Fonterra's survey of farmers suggests that nationally 84% of properties have stock excluded from waterways, an independent audit by MAF revealed a position that only 42% of farms nationally had stock exclusion. The difference in Fonterra's results against those in an independent audit suggest further work

2074-604: The brand names Lactis, Santal, Malù, and Kyr. Its worldwide operations include almost 140 production centres and some 16,000 employees, with 5,000 Italian dairy farms supplying it. Its shares were listed on the Borsa Italiana . In 1961, Calisto Tanzi , a 22-year-old college dropout, opened a small pasteurisation plant in Parma . Two decades later, the company had grown into a multinational corporation diversifying into milk, dairy, beverage, bakery, and other product lines in

2135-437: The centre. FRDC has a substantial library of over 100,000 cheese starter cultures , which began in the 1930s under Hugh Whitehead . The centre has pioneered research on bacteriophages ; in 1935 a bacteriophage was identified as the cause of failure in cheese starter isolates, and in 1992 the centre sequenced the genome of bacteriophage c2, which was the first whole genome to be sequenced in New Zealand. John Roadley

2196-637: The co-op's total milk solids. Other brands affected by the proposed divestment include its subsidiaries Fonterra Oceania and Fonterra Sri Lanka. In addition, the divestment could affect Fonterra's 17 manufacturing sites including three facilities in New Zealand. On 11 November, Fonterra confirmed that it would be selling its consumer brands including Anchor, Mainland, Kāpiti, Anlene, Anmum, Fernleaf, Western Star, Perfect Italiano. The company also confirmed that it would sell its subsidiaries Fonterra Oceania and Fonterra Sri Lanka, as well as its 17 manufacturing sites including its three New Zealand facilities. In 1927

2257-432: The co-operative or increasing/decreasing their milk production. Additionally, Fonterra would set up a special fund that would financially help farmers purchase shares (or retain shares they would otherwise have to sell). The fund would pay farmers for the right to receive dividends and the gain/loss from any changes in value of some of their shares, but the farmer would still be the owner of the shares. The fund would raise

2318-604: The co-operative, which was required to buy the shares back off them. Consequently, Fonterra faced the risk of losing large amounts of share capital through redemptions during times of declining milk production. For instance, after milk production fell during the 2007/08 drought, Fonterra had to pay out $ 742 million of share capital to farmers via redemptions. The capital structure changes also sought to provide greater incentives for farmers to increase their investment in Fonterra shares, helping ensure Fonterra has sufficient share capital to fund profitable business opportunities and drive

2379-452: The co-operative. A key goal of the capital structure changes was to stop large amounts of money washing in and out of Fonterra's balance sheet each year as milk production fluctuates. Under the previous structure, farmers matched their shareholding with their milk production by owning one co-operative share for each kilogram of milksolids (kgMS) produced annually. If their milk production dropped in any season, they could redeem shares back to

2440-669: The company made moves towards purchasing Australian companies Dairy Farmers and National Foods . It also converted its 50 per cent stake in Victoria dairy producer Bonlac to full ownership. At this time $ 1 billion of Fonterra's revenue was from Australian sales, which was 14 per cent of the dairy products it sells around the world. In June 2008, the company acquired the yoghurt and dairy dessert business of Nestlé Australia, which it on-sold to Parmalat Australia in December 2015. In 2010, leaked US embassy cables suggested New Zealand had only sent troops to Iraq in 2003, following

2501-449: The company's shares depreciated significantly as a result of the publicised concerns raised over transactions with mutual fund Epicurum , a Cayman-based company linked to Parmalat by November. Ferraris resigned less than a week after the public fall-out and was replaced by Del Soldato. Del Soldato resigned the next month, unable to get cash from Epicurum fund, needed to pay debts and make bond payments totalling at least €150 million. Bonlat

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2562-504: The debts amounted to €14.3 billion, which was almost eight times the sum originally stated. Several of the company's subsidiaries subsequently went insolvent, including its Brazilian, Argentinian and American operations and its football club in Parma . Tanzi was eventually charged with financial fraud and money laundering . Among the questionable accounting practices used by Parmalat were selling itself credit-linked notes , in effect placing

2623-421: The destruction of tropical forests as it is a waste by-product with almost no commercial value. A spokesperson John Hartnell stated that "Not one millimetre of forest is being cleared just to feed dairy cows". Fonterra says it shares community concern about tropical deforestation , "which in some cases has been driven by the establishment of palm oil plantations". Fonterra says it has been proactive in ensuring

2684-568: The early 1980s, Parmalat was the title sponsor of the Brabham Formula 1 team, and its logotype, prominently displayed on the vehicles, became strongly associated with the team. The company continued as a minor sponsor of other Formula 1 teams in the late 1990s. In 1997, Parmalat expanded into financial markets, financing several international acquisitions, especially in the Western Hemisphere, with debt. But by 2001, many of

2745-527: The effect of making Fonterra shares permanent capital, providing the co-operative with more confidence to invest in long-term projects without fear that some of its share capital might be needed to fund redemptions in future years. As part of the changes, farmers would have greater flexibility with their Fonterra shareholding. The maximum shareholding would be 2 times production (up from the 1.2 times approved in step one) and farmers would have up to three years to comply with shareholding rules when entering/exiting

2806-455: The effectiveness of the self-auditing approach given the wide discrepancy between Fonterra's claims and an independent audit of Dairying and Clean Streams Accord. In 2003, Fonterra became a signatory to the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord , which sets a timeframe for the improvement of water quality on farms. Progress on the Accord goals is reported by the signatories in March of each year on

2867-628: The energy required to power 100,000 homes and, relative to 2003, represents a 320,000 tonne reduction in CO 2 e greenhouse gas emissions in 2010. We use the best mix of energy sources available to us at every one of our sites. We're continually looking for ways to be more energy efficient." In late 2018, Fonterra's Brightwater milk-processing plant, in association with Azwood Energy , began burning wood biomass, alongside coal, to reduce carbon emissions. Fonterra's Stirling milk-processing plant will run solely on electricity. Parmalat Parmalat S.p.A.

2928-457: The export of dairy products to be undertaken by any company. The two smaller co-operatives, Tatua and Westland (which would later be acquired by Yili Group in 2019), did not join Fonterra, instead remaining independent. The company has an annual revenue of around NZ$ 22 billion. Its core business consists of exporting dairy products under the NZMP brand (95% of its New Zealand production

2989-410: The fraud of earlier management at Parmalat. In 2007, Deloitte settled on paying $ 149M to Parmalat. Bank of America, Parmalat's bank in many Special-purpose entities , settled for $ 100M payment to Parmalat in 2009. Grant Thornton International , Parmalat's auditing company, settled after repeated lawsuits for $ 4.4M with Parmalat. The new management at Parmalat recovered about $ 700M in payments from

3050-694: The initial invasion, so Fonterra would keep valuable Oil for Food contracts. New Zealand was not a member of the coalition which supported invasion of the country, but later sent combat engineers for mine clearance and other such tasks. In 2019, the Tip Top ice cream brand was sold for NZ$ 380 million to Froneri , a global joint venture between Nestlé and PAI Partners . In September 2019, Fonterra agreed to sell its 50% stake in DFE Pharma for NZ$ 633 million ($ 400.37 million). In late February 2022, Fonterra suspended exports to Russia in protest of

3111-511: The land". In New Zealand, as in most Western countries, dairy co-operatives have long been the main organisational structure in the industry. The first dairy co-operative was established in Otago in 1871. By 1920, there were 600 dairy processing factories of which about 85% were owned by co-operatives. In the 1930s there were around 500 co-operatives but after World War II , improved transportation, processing technologies and energy systems led to

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3172-456: The money it needed to pay farmer shareholders by selling investment units to investors. Fonterra would require the fund to target "friendly" investors such as sharemilkers, retired farmers and offshore Fonterra suppliers, although the public and institutions would also be able to participate. The "Trading Among Farmers" proposal went before a special meeting on 30 June 2010 and received 89% support from farmer shareholders voting, easily exceeding

3233-869: The new Flexible Shareholding structure received a strong mandate with [85.16%] of total farmer votes cast in support of the recommendation and [82.65%] participation based on milk solids voted.   Fonterra is continuing to work with the Government on how the Flexible Shareholding structure can be given effect under the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act, the legislation that enabled the formation of Fonterra back in 2001. Dairying stock entering waterways due to lack of fencing and poor use of fertilisers are major contributors to water pollution in New Zealand. Fonterra's environmental policy states that "Fonterra shall demonstrate

3294-579: The new divisions were producing losses, and the company financing shifted largely to the use of derivatives , apparently at least in part with the intention of hiding the extent of its losses and debt. In February 2003, chief financial officer Fausto Tonna unexpectedly announced a new €300 million bond issue. This came as a surprise both to the markets and to the CEO, Calisto Tanzi . Tanzi forced Tonna to resign and replaced him with Alberto Ferraris . According to an interview he later gave Time magazine, Ferraris

3355-406: The pricing of end of season share transactions were also tidied up. The second step changed the way Fonterra shares were valued to reflect that share ownership is restricted to farmers only. Previously, Fonterra shares were valued on a theoretical basis as if the shares were freely traded like a public share. An independent valuator subsequently assessed that the restricted market value should be at

3416-399: The river. Fonterra has since encouraged its farmers to clean up their waste and plant trees alongside waterways. In August 2009, Greenpeace claimed that Fonterra was implicated in the destruction of Indonesian and Malaysian rainforests , causing deaths of orangutans and increased global greenhouse gas emissions . In response, Federated Farmers said the use of palm kernel does not cause

3477-531: Was a subsidiary of Parmalat set up in the Cayman Islands. Bonlat's bank, Bank of America , then released a document showing €3.95 billion in Parmalat's bank account as a forgery. Tanzi resigned as chairman and CEO. Hundreds of thousands of investors lost their money and would never recover it. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi changed bankruptcy laws by decree to allow a company to seek accelerated protection from creditors, by giving extraordinary powers to

3538-431: Was sentenced to 10 years in prison for fraud relating to the collapse of the dairy group. The other seven defendants, including executives and bankers, were acquitted. Another eight defendants settled out of court in September 2008. New leadership at Parmalat began investigating and suing Bank of America, Deloitte and Grant Thornton International – the bank and auditing firms that were alleged to have helped in perpetuing

3599-411: Was sometimes described as a demutualization . The board responded in 2008 by shelving the November 2007 proposal and continuing consultation and discussion with farmer shareholders. In September 2009, the board announced a three-step process to revamp Fonterra's capital structure. The new approach abandoned thoughts of a public listing of Fonterra shares and retained 100% farmer control and ownership of

3660-401: Was surprised to discover that, though now CFO, he still did not have access to some of the corporate books, which were being handled by chief accounting officer Luciano Del Soldato . He began making some inquiries and began to suspect that the company's total debt was more than double that on the balance sheet. The plan for a €300 million fundraising effort was dropped in September 2003, and

3721-514: Was the inaugural chairman of Fonterra's board. He foreshadowed his resignation in August 2002 and was succeeded, after the next annual general meeting, by Henry van der Heyden . Van der Heyden held the chairmanship until December 2012. John Wilson succeeded van der Heyden and announced his resignation in July 2018 due to illness (he died in January 2019 aged 54). John Monaghan succeeded Wilson. He

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