SIGNIFICANT MOVEMENTS AND EVENTS IN THE DAIRY SECTOR
* Nov 2007 - Japan's Kirin Holdings buys Australian dairy and fruit juice producer National Foods from Philippines firm San Miguel for $2.8b
* Aug 2008 - National Foods buys Dairy Farmers for $910m
* Jul 2011 - French dairy company Lactalis secures majority stake in Italy's Parmalat, owner of Australian brand Pauls
* Feb 2014 - Canadian giant Saputo secures majority stake in Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory after local suitors withdraw
* Apr 2016 - New Zealand-owned Tasmanian dairy giant Van Diemen's Land Company sold to China's Moon Lake Investments for $280m
* Apr 2016 - Murray Goulburn retrospectively cuts its farmgate milk price, blaming low commodity prices and a high Aussie dollar, and managing director Gary Helou is axed. Fonterra Australia follows suit with a price cut in May
* Jul 2017 - Bega Cheese completes acquisition of the Mondelez International Australia and New Zealand grocery and cheese business, which includes Vegemite, to become a bigger consumer goods business
* Aug 2017 - Murray Goulburn makes an annual loss of $371m amid reduced milk supply and says parties have expressed interest in parts or all of its business
* Sep 2017 - Murray Goulburn confirms it has had approaches from a number of suitors interested in either buying some assets or taking over the whole co-operative.
* Oct 2017 - Bega Cheese confirms it is not a potential buyer of troubled dairy processor Murray Goulburn.
* Oct 2017 - Murray Goulburn announces it is set to be bought by Canadian dairy giant Saputo for $1.3 billion due to mounting debts and dwindling milk supplies
