Greenpeace Condemns Fonterra Profits Amid Canterbury Water Pollution

Greenpeace Aotearoa criticized dairy cooperative Fonterra for reporting $3.4 billion in profit while nitrate pollution continues to contaminate rural drinking water in Canterbury. Programme Director Niamh O’Flynn argued that these profits should be used to support rural communities in cleaning their water rather than benefiting shareholders and executives.

The criticism follows a decision by Environment Canterbury to resolve a previously declared nitrate emergency. The regional council voted against investigating options to make dairy industry polluters pay for the cleanup, a move Greenpeace alleges shifts the financial burden of water safety onto individual rural families.

Greenpeace further claimed that Environment Canterbury failed to hold corporations accountable despite approving the addition of tens of thousands of cows to the regional herd over the past year.