Well done to Greenpeace for their action yesterday.
"Up to 14 Greenpeace protesters boarded the Hong Kong-registered freighter East Ambition, lashing themselves to cranes and the anchor, preventing the ship from docking.
They were protesting Fonterra's importation of palm kernel for use as stock feed because of its role in the destruction of rainforests, predominantly in Malaysia and Indonesia."
"Greenpeace said the use of palm kernel for animal feed undermined New Zealand farmers' "clean, green" claims.
PKE is a by-product of the palm oil process.
Campaign director Chris Harris said only 4 percent of palm oil came from sustainable sites.
Statistics New Zealand showed that 1.1 million tonnes of palm kernels – almost a quarter of the world's supply – are sold to New Zealand a year.
New Zealand farmers' use of animal feed has increased because of drought, the higher cost of locally grown grains, and the increasing intensification of farms. Grass provides 95 percent of dairy cows' diet, and the other 5 percent is supplements such as kernels."
I have always supported direct action especially along the lines of greenpeace.
Dairy farming is losing it's illusion. When we supplement feed with palm kernel and are looking to house the cows in stalls - this isn't dairy as we know it. And it is happening because of greed.
We will be seeing more direct action from other groups over all sorts of issues. Get ready to get out on the street and let the powers that be know what you think.
3 comments:
Palm Kernel Extract (PKE) is just a waste by-product, not one millimetre of land is cleared for planting it! Besides, Fonterra obtains its palm oil from a sustainable source.
Here's the article:
http://www.palmoilconsumer.com/Blogs/Palm-Oil-Consumer-Blog.aspx
The major contributor to Greenhouse gas (GHG) are fossil fuels. Why don't Greenpeace ask Shell/Mobil/BP to stop oil production?
Corn yields only 172 litres of oil/hectare, Soybeans- 446 litres of oil/hectare, while Palm oil produces 5950 litres of oil/hectare. I don't see Greenpeace protesting agaisn't Corn or soy?
One of the UN Millenium Goal's to "Eradicate poverty and hunger" - the oil palm industry is feeding many people in Indonesia and Malaysia... and since fossil fuel is more damaging to our environment and running out, Biofuel is the next thing. So what are the Greenies protesting about??
Greenpeace ought to get their facts right before engaging in such stunts, and we should question their intentions for this protest
kia ora anon
Good points but what other motive do you think greenpeace has? I agree there are plenty of targets for protest and arguments can be made regarding the various merits of each target. Greenpeace obviously did their sums and decided on a protest that seemed to achieve a few goals namely high visibility and low danger.
I'm not sure if I agree that not one millimetre of land has been cleared for palm kernel. yes it is a byproduct but they don't give it away. This byproduct contributes to the overall profit of the product and therefore is it is legitimate to target it IMO.
Perhaps it is too much to say that 'not one millimetre of land is cleared for palm kernel'. I am aware that without the demand for palm oil, there will not be the by-product of PKE. What I'm trying to get at is the fact that Greenpeace is making a big hype out of palm oil when there are other issues that deserve equal attention.
The link below describes the issue well. It shows what Greenpeace preaches and their motives:
http://www.palmoilconsumer.com/Blogs/Palm-Oil-Consumer-Blog/September-2009/True-(1).aspx
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