Poison threat directed at dairy giant

An anonymous blackmailer threatened to poison infant formula in New Zealand to protest the country’s use of poisonous baits for pest control, and sent dairy giant Fonterra packets of milk powder laced with pesticide, police said.

Prime minister John Key said the threat was likely a hoax, and assured parents that formula was safe for babies to drink.

Fonterra, the world’s largest exporter of dairy products and farming association Federated Farmers both received anonymous letters in November, police said.