It is interesting to read the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Integrated Tree Cropping (ITC) website.  ITC is 50% owned by Futuris Corporation Limited.

Question: Does ITC clear old growth forest or use land previously cleared of old growth forest for its plantations?

Answer: No. ITC’s site selection policy precludes the use of cleared native forest. This policy requires previously cleared pasture land with a minimum of 5 years fertilisation history.

Would Futuris ensure this was the case in any future plantations created in Tasmania?

“TRAC will be seeking a commitment from Futuris that if it goes ahead with the takeover of Gunns Ltd, that it abandons the plans to build a $1.4 billion eucalyptus chlorine dioxide pulp mill on the banks of the Tamar River in northern Tasmania.”

A very limited and inadequate set of demands in the context of widespread economic and ecological devastation wreaked by big corporate tree farmers!

A more adequate demand would be to follow the precedent set in the world’s most ‘capitalist’ nation.  The North American states of Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Wisconsin have implemented restrictions on corporate ownership of land and involvement in agriculture.

The result has been that “in general, agriculture dependent counties in states with anti-corporate farming laws fared better (less families in poverty, lower unemployment and higher percentages of farms realizing cash gains) than agriculture dependent counties in states without such laws.”
(http://www.newrules.org/agri/banning.html)

Brenda Rosser
http://www.geocities.com/rosserbj
(Pesticide Abuse in Tasmania)

“Would Futuris ensure this was the case in any future plantations created in Tasmania?”

An amazing show of strength from David Mohr.

Pretty please, Futuris, pleeeeease leave our native forest alone.

If you do you can take over our farms and destroy our way of life and umpteen economic opportunities for family farmers.

We don’t need land anymore because we can go and buy everything we need at Coles and Woolworths.

Rat can smell another one. Mohr reports the following ITC Q&A:

Question: Does ITC clear old growth forest or use land previously cleared of old growth forest for its plantations?

Answer: No. ITC’s site selection policy precludes the use of cleared native forest. This policy requires previously cleared pasture land with a minimum of 5 years fertilisation history.

“..previously cleared pasture land”?  What weasel words!  Clearing 101 - The clearing of pasture is called, inter alia, “ploughing”, “grazing”, “silage making” or “hay making” etc.

Of course ITC uses land previously cleared of old growth forest for its plantations.  Just like most spud paddocks in Tasmania are on land that was cleared of old growth forest.

Just a quick point.

TRAC released this story, where was all the Tasmanian media when this was breaking?

Asleep at the wheel whenever anything involving bad tidings for certain organisations occurs.

Better wack Blind Freddy back in charge.