PRESS RELEASE
Libertarianz
Fonterra
Botulism Brouhaha Highlights Government Incompetence
Libertarianz leader Richard McGrath today accused Ministry of Primary Industries officials of "bovine incompetence", and
called for the sacking of MPI inspectors whose mistaken diagnosis has likely caused Fonterra huge losses, both in
reputation and in profitability.
He also described Colin Espiner and other alleged journalists as "deluded" for pointing the finger at deregulation as
the cause for then debacle.
"What deregulation is Espiner talking about?" he asked. "It is regulation, in the form of bumbling MPI officials, that
has caused Fonterra enormous damage."
"It was another government department - DoC - that insisted on Pike River remaining an underground mine rather than a
safer open cast mine. And it was a government authority that approved the use of substandard building products that
caused the leaky building fiasco. A pattern begins to emerge, of regulation causing inflexibility in operation and,
eventually, disaster."
"Clearly, interference by bureaucrats and politicians is linked to large-scale scandals such as those involving
Fonterra, Pike River and thousands of leaky buildings."
"State-worhippers from both mainstream political parties, along with their shills in the media such as Colin Espiner,
have a lot to answer for."
McGrath suggested Fonterra shareholders should consider litigation against the MPI officials involved, along with
Minister Nathan Guy.
"These shareholders have suffered serious and measurable loss due to the woeful quality of the state officials charged
with quality control."
"The Libertarianz Party also calls for the sacking of Nathan Guy and the disestablishment of his ministry, in the
interests of harm reduction."
ENDS