Female farm worker ‘harassed’ during New Zealand trade visit by Indian dairy giant Amul

Amul’s managing director denies allegations and calls incident ‘fabricated’

New Zealand agriculture under-secretary Jo Luxton during a meeting with the Indian delegation from Amul on 17 April ( Twitter/@joluxton_mp)

A New Zealand trade visit involving India’s largest dairy brand has been marred by allegations that a female farm worker was sexually harassed by two members of the ministerial-level delegation.

A woman working at the farm in Waimakariri on South Island alleged she was “grabbed” and had “unwanted photographs taken” by two men who were part of a co-operative linked to dairy giant Amul.

The incident is said to have occurred on 17 April during a trade event that was attended by a New Zealand government minister and delegates.

A New Zealand police spokesperson told The Independent in a statement that they received a report of an incident alleged to have occurred at a Waimakariri address.

“Police are working to resolve this matter with the parties involved,” it said, without giving further details.

Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which owns the popular Amul brand in India, has denied the allegations, saying the accusations are motivated by “some lobbies with vested interests”.

Stuff.co.nz reported on Monday that the harassment complaint by the Kiwi woman is not likely to lead to any charges or further investigation.

The woman, an employee of Ngai Tahu Farms, said the incident happened during an event where New Zealand’s agriculture minister Damien O’Connor and agriculture under-secretary Jo Luxton were present.

Both have said they did not see the alleged incident.

Phil Houlding, the director of international policy for New Zealand’s ministry for primary industries, said the ministry’s officials have spoken to the woman and offered her their support.

“We’ve been facilitating the delegation’s visit and contacted the police to offer any assistance. We have spoken with the complainant’s employer to offer any support required,” he said.

“As this is a police matter, we cannot comment further.”

Ms Luxton had shared an Instagram post after the event and said it was a “fantastic day”, following the meeting with the Amul delegation.

GCMMF’s managing director Jayen Mehta told The Times of India that the incident was “fabricated” and all the required protocols were followed.

He said 11 GCMMF board members were part of the delegation along with four members of the New Zealand government’s team.

“I am categorically saying that no such incident has happened during our visit,” he said, adding that they had not been contacted by New Zealand police.

The Independent has reached out to Amul for comment.