Greenpeace says Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell leaves behind a toxic environmental legacy
As Fonterra’s CEO Miles Hurrell resigns after eight years, Greenpeace warns that his successor has been left with a toxic mess to clean up.
Greenpeace Agriculture Campaigner Sinéad Deighton-O’Flynn says, “Hurrell’s made millions, while the dirty dairy industry has poisoned rural communities’ drinking water and trashed lakes and rivers. Now he’s taking the money and running.
“Under Miles’ leadership, Fonterra has been making a killing selling cheap and dirty milk powder overseas, while selling out New Zealanders and destroying the environment. Whoever steps in to fill Hurrell’s shows has a big mess to clean up.”
Greenpeace warns that it’s not just Miles Hurrell who’s the problem – Fonterra’s entire business model is failing.
“Under Fonterra’s intensive dairying model there are so many cows crammed into paddocks that the land can’t sustain them all. So the industry relies heavily on destructive imported inputs, like synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and palm kernel expeller, to feed all of the cows.
“Not only are these inputs harmful to the people and the environment, they’re becoming more expensive and less reliable due to global shocks, as we’re seeing with fertiliser stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. This puts Fonterra’s farmers in an increasingly vulnerable position.”
Greenpeace says that New Zealand’s food systems need to change, and is calling for the new Fonterra CEO to support a transition away from intensive livestock farming, towards more regenerative, ecological farming practices.
“Fonterra claims to ‘feed the world’, but right now, it’s not even feeding New Zealanders. Most of what Fonterra produces is milk powder for chocolate and potato chips, meanwhile people can’t afford to buy butter at the grocery store.
“We need resilient food systems that actually feed New Zealanders. It’s time to transform the way we farm in Aotearoa. We need fewer cows, less fertiliser use, and a transition towards ecological agriculture practices – which are better for the planet, and better for us.”
