Taranaki, New Zealand – Greenpeace Aotearoa activists have stopped an Indonesian ship offloading 30 thousand tonnes of palm kernel expeller (PKE), destined for use as animal feed by the country\u2019s biggest environmental polluter, dairy giant Fonterra.<\/p>\n\n
Activists have shut down the storage shed of Fonterra\u2019s primary palm kernel supplier, Agrifeeds, due to proven connections<\/a> between Fonterra\u2019s palm kernel supply and illegal operations and deforestation in critical Indonesian rainforest areas, including orangutan habitat.<\/p>\n\n Inside the facility, two activists locked themselves to pillars, preventing trucks of feed from unloading palm kernel. Meanwhile, a team on the roof unfurled a 70m banner labelling the Fonterra\u2019s butter brand Anchor as a \u2018rainforest killer\u2019 for its misleading grass-fed branding. Currently, Greenpeace Aotearoa has an ongoing lawsuit against Fonterra over this branding. <\/p>\n\n Sin\u00e9ad Deighton-O\u2019Flynn, Agriculture Activist<\/strong>, Greenpeace Aotearoa said:<\/strong> \u201cThe intensive meat and dairy industry all around the world is destroying the climate and rainforests, but Big Agri-business doesn\u2019t want you to know about it. That\u2019s why we\u2019re taking action in New Zealand to show the whole world the extent of their environmental crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n \u201cThe New Zealand dairy industry, led by Fonterra, is one of the world\u2019s worst climate polluters. Not only do they have too many cows polluting the planet with superheating methane gas, but at the same time, they\u2019re complicit in chopping down the last paradise rainforests of Indonesia in order to feed their oversized dairy herd.<\/p>\n\n \u201cWhile Fonterra boasts that its dairy product – specifically Anchor – is superior because it\u2019s \u2018grass-fed\u2019, unfortunately, that\u2019s far from the truth. There are so many cows on New Zealand dairy farms that there isn\u2019t enough grass to feed them. As much as 20% of what Fonterra cows eat is this gravelly brown powder called palm kernel expeller – which often comes from illegally operating palm plantations in Southeast Asia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Danika Plowman<\/strong>, Volunteer Activist<\/strong>, Greenpeace Aotearoa said:<\/strong> \u201cRainforests and the wildlife that inhabit them should not be destroyed to feed to dairy cows here in New Zealand. We\u2019re here to tell Fonterra to end the use of palm kernel and cut its ties to deforestation now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Deighton-O\u2019Flynn<\/strong> adds, \u201cRainforests like those in Southeast Asia are critical biodiversity hotspots, and they are also the lungs of the world, countering the pollution being emitted by big Agri-businesses like Fonterra.<\/p>\n\n \u201cBut you wouldn\u2019t know any of this based on the agri-industry\u2019s marketing. Big Ag corporations like Fonterra pump millions of dollars into environmental marketing and PR, misleading their customers while they wreck the world\u2019s precious rainforests and produce huge amounts of superheating methane emissions that are cooking the climate faster than CO2<\/sub>.<\/p>\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s worse is that Fonterra isn\u2019t the only company doing this – from Arla in Europe, to JBS in the Amazon, the destruction is systemic, and so are the lies. It\u2019s time to break down the livestock industry\u2019s greenwash and bring the dirty truth about intensive cattle farming into the light.\u201d<\/p>\n\n ENDS<\/p>\n\n Images will be available in the Greenpeace Media Library<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n Contacts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Rhiannon Mackie, Greenpeace Aotearoa communications,\u00a0+64-27-244-6729, rmackie@greenpeace.org<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n