"The problems associated with tainted diesel fuel have only begun for some agricultural users." said Neil Barton, Federated Farmers Grains Council Chairman. "While fuel companies have assured users that diesel problems would soon subside as new uncontaminated fuel enters the system, many agricultural users have been left with old diesel and face ongoing uncertainty and inconvenience."

Most farms have on-farm storage tanks that are topped up by a supplier on a regular basis. For many farmers it may take months before they are burning completely uncontaminated fuel.

Farmers experiencing problems have been offered technical support by fuel companies and replacement of clogged filters, but companies have not answered any requests for fuel replacement. "Fuel companies are not doing all that they could," said Mr Barton. "Farmers should not have to suffer months of inconvenience, and should have their fuel replaced if they feel that their problems will be ongoing."

"This debacle raises serious concerns about the quality of diesel supplied to the consumer in New Zealand. The fact that the tainted fuel recently distributed around New Zealand conforms to the NZ Fuel Specifications raises serious questions about the adequacy of these specifications."

"Farmers have faced fuel quality issues before and are now wondering if deficiency lies within the NZ Fuels Specifications. The federation is asking the Minister of Energy to inquire into the specifications used in New Zealand. If our quality standards are allowing this type of fuel to enter the system, then maybe there is something wrong with the standards" said Mr Barton.

ENDS

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