'Too precious to fry” read the slogan next to the big blue globe carried by a protestor outside Fonterra's annual general meeting at its Waitoa factory yesterday.

Jill Whitmore and David Shepherd, from Auckland Coal Action, were demonstrating against Fonterra's use of coal in some of its processing plants, and claim a company which talks about sustainability should not be burning fossil fuels.

David Shepherd and Jill Whitmore of Auckland Coal Action protesting outside Fonterra's Waitoa Factory yesterday. Photos: Elaine Fisher.

Together with a third protestor, the pair made the trip from Auckland to make their voices heard.

'We know many farmers are doing a lot for the environment, but want Fonterra to stop using coal and switch to wood waste instead,” says Jill.

David says Northland farmers are suffering from drought and global warming, which will only make that worse.

Both are farmers and part of the action group to which former Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons belongs.

The group says Fonterra uses more than half-a-million tonnes of coal a year to dry milk powder, and this total is growing as it builds new plants.

At the same time, New Zealand farmers are being devastated by severe droughts, yet climate change has only just started to make itself felt says ACA.

The three protestors had five signs which read:

• Biggest threat to NZ farming is climate change
• New coal boilers at Studholme = 40 more years of coal
• Waste wood boilers – proven technology
• Will Fonterra gamble, with shareholders' funds, on no carbon charge in next 40 years?
• Fonterra decides: for sustainability, or climate destruction?

Fonterra's Waitoa UHT factory was the venue for the company's annual general meeting yesterday.