Bradford offers to help farmers with APEC protest

Sue Bradford, Green Party Rodney candidate and long-time activist on employment and free-trade issues, said today that she supports calls by Federated Farmers and Meat New Zealand to protest at September's APEC meeting in Auckland.

Both Federated Farmers President, Malcolm Bailey, and Meat New Zealand Chairman, John Acland, have said that farmers would consider protest action at the forthcoming APEC meeting if US President Bill Clinton imposed tariffs on New Zealand lamb exports to America.

"Unfortunately farming leaders are picking on the wrong target," said Sue Bradford. "Instead of protesting at Bill Clinton's hotel they should be picketing Jenny Shipley's.

"After all, Shipley and her government are the architects of New Zealand's ultra free-trade policies which have left farmers and manufacturers hopelessly exposed in the global market place.

"What farmers should be protesting about is our government's unquestioning support for free trade. APEC provides an excellent opportunity for rural communities, which have suffered so much at the hands of globalisation, to call for fair trade which works to create jobs and raise incomes, both at home and among our trading partners.

"I would be more than happy to advise farming leaders on effective non-violent direct action strategies if they agree that the government should be managing New Zealand's trading relationships rather than opening up our country to exploitation.

"Grassroots farmers have enough common sense to recognise that we have foolishly traded away all our bargaining chips, leaving us with no leverage when it comes to access negotiations for our primary exports. Unfortunately, their leaders have had the wool pulled over their eyes by government free-trade proponents," she said.