By Colin Packham
SYDNEY, Nov 23 (Reuters) - TasFoods on Monday obtained a temporary injunction blocking the sale of the operator of Australia's largest and oldest dairy farm to overseas investors amid a political backlash against foreign ownership of agricultural assets.
The injunction comes after the owner of the Tasmanian-based Van Diemens Land Company, New Zealand-based New Plymouth District Council, said on Friday it had agreed to sell the dairy firm to an unnamed foreign entity that had given it a "significantly superior" offer than TasFoods.
The terms of the deal were not revealed, but TasFoods, formerly OnCard International Ltd ONC.AX , said it was lower than the around A$280 million ($200.79 million) it had agreed to buy Van Diemens for from New Plymouth.
"The directors consider it an extraordinary decision by the councillors of New Plymouth District Council to have approved the sale of the assets to a foreign investor for less consideration," TasFoods said in a stock exchange filing.
New Plymouth District Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Under the injunction, the sale of Van Diemens is blocked until a further hearing on November 25.
Lawmakers have recently raised concerns about the sale of agricultural assets to foreigners, saying Australia risked losing control over its food security.
This outcry has prompted the foreign investment regulator to block the sale of the Australia's largest cattle ranch to Chinese firms, saying an area the size of South Korea should remain in Australian hands. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N13D5F9
Lawmakers have also raised security concerns about last month's deal by the government of the Northern Territory to lease the Port of Darwin to Chinese-owned firm Landbridge.
On Friday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said his government wanted to standardise foreign investment laws. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N13H0DP ($1 = 1.3945 Australian dollars) (Editing by Miral Fahmy)