Five Greenpeace activists occupy the ship’s cranes. The MV Great Motion has 10,000 tonnes of palm kernel on board. It is at anchor just outside the Port, where it had been waiting for another ship to unload its palm kernel and depart a berth used for unloading the animal feed. Greenpeace is calling for the Government to put a stop to Fonterra’s expanding use of palm kernel (also know as palm kernel expeller), which is typically grown on land cleared of rainforest often including orang-utan habitat. Palm kernel is linked to deforestation and peatland destruction poses a significant risk to New Zealand’s economy, as it undermines this country's international clean green reputation, because of its impact on the climate, and rainforests. Reliance on supplementary feeds like palm kernel commits New Zealand to a dairying model that is completely unsustainable.
© Greenpeace / Nigel Marple