Greenpeace has called on Fonterra to use its profits to help rural Canterbury communities deal with nitrate contamination in their drinking water.

Fonterra reported an operating profit of $3.4 billion on Thursday, including a $1.2 billion benefit from the sale of Mainland. Its profit after tax was $2.6 billion.

Greenpeace Aotearoa programme director Niamh O’Flynn said the results came as rural households faced the cost of making contaminated drinking water safe.

“For Fonterra to announce this obscene profit, as nitrate pollution increases, is a kick in the teeth for people on the ground who can’t safely drink the water from their kitchen taps.”

“The first step is to stop the pollution. Then, Fonterra’s profits should go towards ensuring that Cantabrians have access to clean, safe drinking water, instead of lining the pockets of their shareholders and executives.”

Her comments followed Environment Canterbury’s decision on Wednesday to stop further investigation into funding mechanisms to help drinking water suppliers pay for treatment or find alternative sources. Councillors voted nine to seven in favour of stopping that work.

The council’s September 2025 nitrate emergency declaration had called for consideration of a targeted rate, levy or other mechanism so nitrate polluters contributed to the costs of removing contamination from drinking water.

O’Flynn accused councillors of allowing the intensive dairy industry to avoid responsibility while leaving rural families to meet the costs.

“The intensive dairy industry has poisoned rural drinking water with nitrate, putting communities’ health at risk. And those same communities have just been hung out to dry by regional councillors, who have opted to put the burden of dealing with that poisoned water back on the individuals,” she said.

Greenpeace said the emergency declaration had been an opportunity to hold companies such as Fonterra accountable.

O’Flynn also said the council had approved tens of thousands of additional cows in the past year and voted against providing free water testing for people using private bores.

“Environment Canterbury has a bare minimum responsibility to continue advocating for its constituents, and to ensure that nitrate contamination is stopped at the source. Right now, it’s doing neither.”

Councillors voted 10 to six to endorse the Drinking Water Action Plan as their response to last year’s motion. Environment Canterbury said the plan focused on educating private well owners, working with landowners to reduce nitrate losses, gathering evidence and collaborating with agencies and industry.

Separately, in its results announcement, Fonterra said it would invest an additional $1 billion in the South Island over the next three years to expand protein manufacturing and improve environmental performance, including its impact on water and emissions.