A cross section of New Zealand civil society took to the water of Lyttelton Harbour today to protest the arrival of yet
more phosphate rock extracted from occupied Western Sahara. Whilst this protest targeted a vessel being used by
Ravensdown it is important to remember that both Ravensdown and its competitor Ballance Agri-Nutrients continue to
import from Western Sahara.
Western Sahara was occupied by Morocco in 1975 and to this day remains occupied. Only two companies in the Western world
continue to import the phosphate rock that a Moroccan business extracts from the mine at Boucraa, Sadly both are New
Zealand businesses.
Western Sahara Campaign-NZ now calls on both New Zealand importers of that phosphate rock, Ravensdown and Ballance
Agri-Nutrients, to give a clear and unequivocal undertaking to stop this trade and seek another source for their
phosphate rock.