Source: Greenpeace
Greenpeace Aotearoa has pledged to oppose a proposed coal-powered fertiliser factory from being built in Southland.
Australian-owned company Victorian Hydrogen (operating as Pan-Pacific Fertilisers) intends to strip-mine Southland farmland for lignite, which it will use to produce synthetic nitrogen fertiliser in a purpose-built factory.
Greenpeace Aotearoa Freshwater Campaigner Will Appelbe says, “The dairy industry’s overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser is already poisoning rural drinking water and choking New Zealand’s rivers and lakes. Now, Victorian Hydrogen plans to double down on the damage.”
“Victorian Hydrogen plans to use the dirtiest fossil fuel on the planet to fuel aggressive dairy herd expansion – and in the process, they’ll be pumping more nitrate into Southland drinking water, and more greenhouse gases into our atmosphere.
“More fertiliser production means more dairy expansion. It means baking in a reliance on urea for decades, at a time when we desperately need to reduce our dependence and transition towards ecological agriculture. And it will increase threats to the health of rural New Zealanders – who are already exposed to unsafe levels of nitrate contamination in their drinking water.”
Greenpeace says that it will resist any attempt by Victorian Hydrogen (Pan-Pacific Fertilisers) to build its coal-powered fertiliser factory in Southland.
“This plan to strip-mine Southland farmland for coal to make more fertiliser is a fast-track to climate destruction and water pollution, and we will not allow it to go ahead,” says Appelbe.
“Too much is at stake. We’re drawing a line in the sand to protect the climate and people’s access to safe drinking water – and we’re calling on all New Zealanders who care about the health of people and the planet to join us.”
The organisation has launched an open letter to Victorian Hydrogen, telling the company to keep its coal-powered fertiliser factory out of Aotearoa, and is inviting members of the public to sign on in support.