"Rainforest destruction for the palm plantation industry is
driving orangutans to the brink of extinction and destroying
massive carbon reserves, thus contributing heavily to climate
change," said Greenpeace Climate Campaigner Susannah Bailey.
"And this is just the latest blight on the dairy sector's
reputation.
"New Zealand's agricultural sector accounts for almost half of
all New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions, and these emissions are
rapidly increasing. The entire increase in agricultural emissions
is from the expansion and intensification of the dairy sector.
"Now we find that industrial dairying is also contributing to
tropical rainforest destruction offshore. New Zealand doesn't need
this level of environmental irresponsibility from one of its
flagship and supposedly 'clean, green' industries."
This morning the Green Party revealed that palm kernel imported
as supplementary feed has soared from 408 tonnes in 1999 to 455,000
tonnes in 2007. In just the first three months of this year the New
Zealand dairy sector has imported 185,000 tonnes of palm kernel
meal and a recent Rural News article said some traders estimated
700,000 tonnes would be brought into New Zealand this year.
The volume of palm kernels purchased between 2000 to 2007 would
require up to 900,000 hectares of deforestation to produce.
Greenpeace is taking action to highlight the rainforest
destruction caused by the palm oil industry in Indonesia. Last
weekend, it launched a campaign targeting Unilever's Dove brand
because of its use of palm oil, with direct actions throughout
Europe. (1)
Greenpeace is calling on the New Zealand dairy sector to take
immediate action to end the import of palm kernels for
supplementary feed, saying the practice is extremely damaging to
New Zealand's clean green reputation.
"At a time when the New Zealand Government has been talking in
climate change negotiations about the need to tackle tropical
deforestation, New Zealand's own dairy sector is encouraging it,"
said Ms Bailey.
Meanwhile, back home, the environmental damage caused by
industrial dairying continues unabated. According to the Ministry
of Agriculture and Forestry some 455,000 hectares of forestry land
in New Zealand is at risk of being deforested and converted into
pastoral use. This is nearly seven times the size of Lake Taupo.
(2)
"Dairy conversion in New Zealand is at an all time high and
stands in stark contrast to Government claims that New Zealand is a
world leader on climate change.
"Converting forestry to make way for cows is effectively a
'double whammy' for the climate as it destroys forests and replaces
it with dairy farming which is the most greenhouse gas intensive
form of land use".
"When you also factor in the overuse and pollution of water and
tropical rainforest destruction, it's clear the current pathway of
the New Zealand agricultural industry is completely
unsustainable."
Other contacts: Susannah Bailey – Greenpeace Climate Campaigner – 021 905 582
Kathy Cumming – Greenpeace communications – 021 495 216
Notes: (1) http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/unilever-monkey-business210408. See also: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/forests/asia-pacific/dove-palmoil-action
(2) MAF, Area of forest ‘at risk’ from deforestation, August 2006, http://www.maf.govt.nz/climatechange/forestry/ets/area-at-risk/page-04.htm
Exp. contact date: 2008-08-14 00:00:00