fbpx
Print this page
Tuesday, 05 February 2019 10:06

BLNZ director 'likes' anti-farming columnist's tweets

Written by 

A Beef + Lamb NZ director who ‘liked’ an anti-farming newspaper columnist's tweet last week has raised eyebrows in farming circles.

Read: Cheap shots offend many.

NZ Herald columnist Rachael Stewart is facing backlash on social media for falsely implying last year that former Fonterra chairman John Wilson was faking ill-health.

Following news of Wilson's death, Stewart tweeted last week, “Turns out John wasn’t in “fine fettle” - but neither was Fonterra at the time. Before his deification gathers full steam, who do I make my unreserved apology out to?”

Melissa Clark-Reynolds, who follows Stewart, says she liked the “apology” Rachael Stewart tweeted last week. She liked a further tweet by Stewart, "I normally never drink 'mother's ruin' but, given a day of heat as I've never felt before in NZ, I'm about to pour a Rogue gin, with tonic, ice and lime. Thought For The Day: Even when you apologise, some people will never accept it. Why? Because they just don't like you. CHEERS!"

An independent director, appointed by the BLNZ board, Clark-Reynolds has refused to apologise to farmers for her thoughtless action, but concedes Stewart’s initial tweet about John Wilson’s was “atrocious”.

“I liked the fact that she apologised last week.”

BLNZ chairman Andrew Morrison was asked if Clark-Reynolds – who is paid $33,000 a year by meat levy payers, many of them Fonterra shareholders – should apologise to dairy farmers, most of them also BLNZ levy payers.

“Beef + Lamb New Zealand has extended its condolences to John Wilson’s family and friends following his recent passing. Melissa Clark-Reynolds uses her Twitter account in a personal capacity,” Morrison told Rural News.

More like this

Why 'Fork to Farm' Beats Farm to Fork, Expert Says

In the past, much has been made of the concept of farm to fork, but an Australian expert in food science and marketing with experience in the dairy industry, Dr Angeline Achariya, says the reverse of this slogan is critical to win modern day consumers.

Featured

Editorial: The Value of Credibility

OPINION: In politics, credibility is and should be big. It must surely rank higher than charisma, which is quite trite and superficial. Yet, voters nowadays are often wooed and influenced by how someone looks or talks at a superficial level. TV plays a huge role in this.

Kaikōura Families Get School Run Lifeline After Storm

Kaikōura families affected by July's severe storm have found a practical solution to a problem that's kept some children away from regular schooling for weeks: a washed-out section of Inland Kaikōura Road, which has stopped the local school bus from running its usual route.

National

Machinery & Products