Fletcher, David 1952-:"Our attempts at making motoring more affordable have hit a snag..." 21 March 2011

'The Politician' cartoon strip. The minister tells reporters that 'our attempts at making motoring more affordable have hit a snag. We've developed a car that runs on milk. Context - Petrol prices rose another 3 cents per litre on 22 March and now 91 octane petrol prices have matched the peak price in July 2008 of $2.19/litre. The retail price of milk rose from $1.69 per litre last June to $1.82 in January but Agriculture Minister David Carter said it would be a bad decision for the Government to intervene to lower domestic prices. "We are dependent, as an export nation, on what we receive for our products internationally, and while that does have a negative, immediate impact on New Zealand consumers, frankly, the better the primary sector performs the better all New Zealanders will be," he said. Dairy giant Fonterra has frozen the price for the rest of the year. Manaia Health PHO Chief Executive Chris Farrelly has slammed the high cost of milk saying it is a national outrage that a country that produces 15 billion litres annually cannot supply cheap milk to the domestic market. "Milk is vital for children's health and bone development. Milk and milk products provide energy, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals. It should be seen as an essential food - not a luxury" says Mr Farrelly. The New Zealand Children's Nutrition survey shows that milk consumption has dropped by a third since the 1980s, replaced by soft drinks which are usually much cheaper.

Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).