Greenpeace protest forces Fonterra to evacuate headquarters

By Jason Krupp

Sept. 23 (BusinessDesk) - Dairy exporter Fonterra Cooperative Group was forced to evacuate its headquarters in Auckland today after environmental group Greepeace staged a protest in the dairy cooperative’s foyer, sparking fears of a bomb threat.

The protest, which consisted of a multimedia barricade in Fonterra’s main entrance, was cleared by police who have allowed staff back into the building after initially evacuating it.

The group was protesting against the use of palm oil kernel by New Zealand dairy farmers, which according to Greenpeace consumes a quarter of the world’s supply.

Greenpeace spokesperson Simon Boxer told BusinessDesk that two activists were briefly detained by police and issued with trespass notices, but no arrests were made.

“It is too early to say if Fonterra wants to launch legal action,” said Boxer.

Fonterra refused to comment on the incident and said the matter is being investigated by police.

The use of palm kernel has been linked to the destruction of rainforests in Malaysia and Indonesia as native land is cleared for plantations.

(BusinessDesk)