Greenpeace investigation<\/a> out today reveals the New Zealand dairy giant\u2019s key supplier of palm kernel extract has links to a huge expanse of deforestation in Indonesia.<\/p>\nThe practice of clearing tropical rainforest for palm plantations has been condemned for its effects on climate change and the habitat of endangered animals like the orangutan.<\/p>\n
Fonterra imports PKE, a product made by the palm oil industry for supplementary feed. New Zealand is the world\u2019s largest user, bringing in a quarter of the global supply.<\/p>\n
After public outcry two years ago Fonterra agreed to adopt an industry standard to ensure its use of PKE wasn\u2019t leading to deforestation.<\/p>\n
Now embarrassingly its main supplier of PKE, Wilmar, has been linked with the mass destruction of rainforest in Papua, Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe international reputation of NZs dairy industry is seriously on the line here and so are the world\u2019s last remaining rainforests.\u201d says Gen Toop, Greenpeace\u2019s sustainable agriculture spokesperson.<\/p>\n
Photos taken by Greenpeace International on a recent flyover show an area of forest twice the size of Paris has been destroyed.<\/p>\n
\u201cFonterra\u2019s attempts to get rainforest destruction out of their supply chain have clearly failed. They need to get out of PKE altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fonterra\u2019s website says of its major PKE supplier: \u201cWilmar have a \u2018no-deforestation,
\nno-exploitation, no peat policy, respect designated conservation areas and employ wildlife protection experts.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Greenpeace Investigation shows the concessions in Papua belong to a business called Gama. Documents reveal that it\u2019s run by senior Wilmar executives and members of their family.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur investigation has exposed Wilmar\u2019s dirty secret. For years, Wilmar and Gama have worked together, with Gama doing the dirty work so Wilmar\u2019s hands appeared to stay clean.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis revelation again implicates NZ\u2019s dairy industry in deforestation in Indonesia,\u201d says Toop.<\/p>\n
As well as being implicated in deforestation in Indonesia, PKE is also one of the main drivers of dairy intensification in New Zealand.<\/p>\n
\u201cPKE fuelled the expansion of industrial dairy farming here in NZ. We now have way too many cows polluting our rivers and warming our climate.\u201d says Toop.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to ditch PKE, re-focus onto pasture based dairying and farm fewer cows. These are the first steps towards transforming NZs dairy industry to regenerative farming which is the direction we need to be going. \u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t