REMEMBER those rumours a few months ago that institutional investors were putting the squeeze on dairy group Golden Vale to appoint an outside chairman, apparently aimed at reducing the level of farmer control of the Charleville based group.

The rumours even went so far as to identify potential outside successors to current chairman Denis Wallis, with Dublin lawyer James Osborne mentioned in dispatches.

Well, the word from Charleville this week is that the chairmanship may change, but that any new chairman will be a farmer. The milk barons of Munster have not yet reached a stage where they are willing to have a suit from Dublin in the chair.