There was turmoil on the high seas in New Plymouth on the weekend as Greenpeace activists boarded an Indonesian container ship, protesting the use of Palm Kernel as a stock feed.

The inbound ship ‘Great Motion’, with a 10,000 tonne load of palm kernel aboard, was occupied by several protesters, one of whom was arrested after climbing onto its anchor.

Greenpeace spokesperson Nathan Argent says the protest was about bringing the plight of Indonesia’s forests and animals into public view.

"Greenpeace have been concerned for a long time about the use of palm kernel here in New Zealand and it’s being used here for our Dairy cows.

"It poses a huge risk to our clean, green image both here and overseas.

"It’s a massive contributor to deforestation, climate change and the wiping out of many animal habitats."

Mr Argent says they want Fonterra to scale down imported volumes of the feed, and instead make use of locally grown substitutes.

"Greenpeace wants the government to step in and demand Fonterra stop importing palm kernel and start thinking about a smarter way of farming.

"Moving away from the current industrial farming model and working for a better future in New Zealand."

Agriculture Minister David Carter has often refuted claims that Palm Kernel imports harm the environment, and says the kernel would be burned if it wasn't exported anyway.

The five protesters who boarded the vessel will appear in the New Plymouth District Court on Thursday.

Head here to the Greenpeace website to see more photos, or here for a video of the protest.