Humanitarian pressure on Fonterra grows

Amnesty International is escalating its call for Fonterra to condemn the executions of  two people involved in the San Lu  milk powder tragedy.

Six children died and nearly 300,000 children fell ill last year after drinking milk  laced with melamine.

Amnesty International last month called on Fonterra to take a stand against the executions, but the dairy giant  refused to comment, saying the executions were a matter for the Chinese authorities.

Amnesty International also received an explanatory letter last week from Fonterra chief executive Andrew Ferrier.

``I hope that you can appreciate we are not a political organisation and would not be expected to comment or petition a foreign government on the laws of their own country,'' Ferrier wrote.

Fonterra had business operations in more than 140 countries, and as with any company operating in different countries, he said, it obeyed and respected the laws that were in place in those countries.

Amnesty International chief executive Patrick Holmes said Ferrier's reply wasn't good enough.

``The company is basically saying that the scandal had nothing to do with them, that's shameful.''

Holmes realises Fonterra's role is not to force political change in a country, but as a major global business, he thinks it has certain responsibilities.

Geng Jinping, who added melamine-laced powder to fresh milk for sale to San Lu, and Zhang Yujun, who produced 776 tons of melamine-tainted powder, were reportedly executed late last month.

- © Fairfax NZ News