4 June 2013

Fonterra should suspend milk from oil and fracking land

The Green Party is calling on Fonterra to suspend taking milk from land where oil and fracking waste, including highly toxic chemicals, has been spread and covered in Taranaki.

The call comes following revelations on Campbell Live that Fonterra takes milk from up to 12 landfarms and many other sites in Taranaki where oil and gas industry waste, including fracking waste, is spread and covered.

“Consumers will be concerned to know that milk from cows grazed on land spread with oil industry and fracking waste is in our milk supply,” said Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman.

“People don’t want to drink milk from cows grazed on pasture with petroleum industry waste beneath it.

“The DCD scare showed us that our consumers want a clean product.

“Fonterra says they rely on the regional council consenting process to ensure safety. But the Taranaki Regional Council is not a neutral umpire when it comes to fracking and the oil industry; it is an advocate.

“Fonterra has not unequivocally said that there are no issues with this milk from farms with fracking waste on them. The public deserve to know what testing has been done on milk from these farms and what the testing shows.

“Consumers can get dirty milk from any number of countries. Our brand advantage is that our milk is clean and green. We need to take all steps to ensure our milk stays that way.

“This issue highlights how the Government’s petroleum development plans are creating a reputation risk for the dairy industry.

“Widespread growth of oil and gas is a threat to our reputation as producers of safe, clean food.

“The dairy industry cannot afford another residue scare like we had with DCD,” said Dr Norman.

ENDS

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