Posted on 02/08/2006 1:23:39 AM PST by NZerFromHK
Dairy giant Fonterra is distancing itself from Danish products caught up in widespread Muslim protests and trade boycotts after the publication of cartoons of Mohammed.
Denmark was the first country to publish controversial caricatures of the Muslim prophet last September and the country has been hardest hit by the backlash.
Fonterra is remaining tight-lipped about any impact the publication of the cartoons in New Zealand might have had on its business, but Middle East reports say that some emails and fliers wrongly list Fonterra products as coming from Denmark.
Fonterra has published an ad in Middle East newspapers highlighting that Anchor milk powders are New Zealand-made.
The company is also involved in a joint venture with Danish dairy company Arla Foods which says the ongoing boycott of Danish products in the Middle East has so far cost it between STG40 million-STG50 million.
Arla says it is losing STG1 million a day as the Muslim world refuses to buy Danish goods in protest over the cartoons.
Well, the US has all that money we're not spending on French products now...we can shift to buying Danish goods.
Fonterra is apparently one of the world's largest producers of eggs. CHICKEN eggs. And thus, of course, also chickens***.
I am surprised by this. What a shame!
Fonterra's website is here:
http://www.fonterra.com/
I sent them an email telling them to suck ass because of this.
The all mighty dollar once again prevails over principles.
Guess I'll have to go out tomorrow and buy some export from Denmark to help 'take up the slack'...
Can't think of any "Product of New Zealand" that I use that I can stop buying to compensate for increasing my purchase of Danish products.
unless you count Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies).
New Zealand: incredibly beautiful country full of foolish people and exceedingly foolish politicians....
I'll go there sometime for a long vacation if they, as a nation, ever decide to quit being silly, terorist loving, ignorant, socialist fools.
I see they cater to there target consumer. Might as well sell their souls to the devil.
Give credit to where credit's due. New Zealand does promote free trade internationally, and we have abolished all industrial and agricultural subsidies.
But the downside is, coupled with pacifism and UN-fetishism we have a monster that looks weird (weasels, but promoting free trade). And by free trade the country seems to believe that "let's trade with everyone! And don't offend themn as long as "them" is not the United States!"
I think the closest analogue to the way this country acts on the international scene is perhaps Luxembourg.
Huh?
Why would you want to buy a New Zealand product when they are boycotting Danish Products because of some stupid cartoons published in a Danish Paper that made some idiots angry???.?
At least one of us needs to go to bed and get some sleep. ;-)
(very possibly could be me that needs some sleep.)
I'd love to spend a lot of time there.... Could even imagine living there...
But not as long as 'you' keep electing socialistic, naive fools to govern you and run your businesses.
(Almost as foolish as an America that elected Bill Clinton to the Presidency TWICE, and might elect his wife President next time. ;-)
I'll admit to stereotyping and exaggerating....
But really, (yourself and those like you excluded); just because your country is so geographically isolated and you have wonderful natural resources and many excellent, talented people living there, do you think that your political and business leaders can get away with such silliness in this day and age?
American conservatism has three interlated foundations: a committment to market forces, a belief on a principled and muscular foreign policy stand backed up by a credible military, and a Judeo-Christian moral stand on society - an alliance built by Reagan. Unfortuntaely this alliance doesn't exist in New Zealand and I think apart from market forces, there are no defence hawks in this country and pro-family voices are too minute to matter.
In theory, NZ may satisfy a number of people who call themselves libertarians: a pacifist self-loathing foreign and defence policies, and a socially liberal mindset, but with market forces on economic fields. As someone who is 3 out of 3 on the three foundations of American conservatism, sometimes you feel a bit lonely over here.
You said a mouthful!
I never got over N.Zealand prohibiting our nuclear war ships from entering their ports.
I wonder what their view will be when and if the SHTF with all out war?
Some fence sitters may find their fences gone.
Dang.... you are a "smart feller"....
Past my bed time... I can't keep up intellectualy any more for now.
Whatever... I wish you and your country of choice nothing but the best!!!!!
Ben Franklin put it in terms of either standing together or hanging separately. Rev Martin Niemöller expressed it as failing to protest when different groups were targeted until no one was left to defend him.
So for any western company to 'separate' itself from the targeted company/country is just to delay the attack until the crazies find something it is doing that offends TMOR (the most easily offended religion).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.