Hemp – The Opportunity for Tasmania

Fiona Scott

…one simple move could give Tasmania a greener and more diversified economic base, provide a new food supply to the world and allow our working population to flourish in the textile, paper, fibreboard, pharmaceutical, fuel and food industries.

SAVE OUR STATE, save our farmers, save our tourism industry, our forests & wildlife…Help the world!

It has occurred to me frequently, amid the furor over the Gunn’s pulp mill, ANZ’s withdrawl, the international “Get-up” campaign, the continued fuel price rises, and the global food shortage that far from the brink of ruin, Tasmania is in a unique position of ‘opportunity’ to be really helpful and set a great example to the rest of the world.

Thinking outside the square, one simple move could give Tasmania a greener and more diversified economic base, provide a new food supply to the world and allow our working population to flourish in the textile, paper, fibreboard, pharmaceutical, fuel and food industries.

So what one simple thing could possibly achieve such a diversity of success and environmental sustainability, while also addressing the global food shortage, fuel ownership and the carbon footprint?

Low THC Hemp, is an alternative crop that provides economic benefit in diversity for forestry communities, farming communities and alternative high grade fibre for the pulp mill. Its superior fibre makes for superior paper and fibreboard.

The plant itself has a regenerative effect on arid ground as a legume/nitrogen fixer and the amount of fibre per acre is equivalent to that of plantation timber but without the 20 year wait, chemicals and soil degradation.

Premier Bartlett could sign that supply guarantee agreement for the mill, with the words “wood fibre or superior cellulose fibre” giving peace of mind that our natural forest resource and tourism industry would not have to be pulped for a further 20 years.

The supply of Hemp would, over time, overtake demand for wood content in pulp materials, due to the strength and length of the fibre, cleaner processing and growth time/volume factors. A farmer can use land again and again for that crop or others and provide better quality and higher quantities of cellulose fibre per acre over the same 20 year period. While other land is locked up for woodchip plantations and is unusable for cropping for longer than a 20 year period. Hemp is clean, green and generally grown in 16 week rotational cycles. It improves soil condition, rather than degrading it, making it useful as a rotational crop subsequent to nutrient demanding food crops.

Utilizing Hemp as a cellulose source would free up existing timber plantations for use in the building industry and provide a more consistent guarantee of supply for that industry. As per the original wood-chipping plan, timber-mills would be able to again supply waste wood for pulping or mulching. Farmers could supply the bulk of the cellulose fibre for paper, textiles, grain, ethanol and other bi-industries that maximise the use of this profitable agricultural resource. Forest working communities would be able to maintain their heritage and skills by continuing to supply the building industry in plantation forests and they will have new opportunities to explore, with available diversification in the harvest and cartage of the hemp stalk bundles that go to mill.

The crop requires little in the way of chemicals for production or processing (hence cottons favour re: Dupont chemicals) and can offer a cleaner solution to the present chemical dilemma association with the pulp mill debate and cotton textile crops. Simply choose a material that has superior length of fibre and requires little or not chemical use in processing and employs more Tasmanians without dispossessing our land, our workers or our children’s future inheritance.

Now there is an industry to be proud of. Employing farmers and forest workers. Respecting our environment. Providing more diverse economic opportunity than ever before.

There is a world food crisis looming, a low THC Hemp crop yields 500kg – 2 tonne of seed per acre, according to current grower estimates. The seed/grain that has been a staple diet for centuries prior to modernisation, has many amino acids and a high protein level. Hemp seed, with the highest content of Omega 6 and 3 in a perfect 3:1 ratio, plus GLA and Omega 9, is highly digestible, protein and mineral rich, high in fibre and gluten free.

Tasmania could be a saviour, providing this grain for consumption in the global market and aid people that are suffering.

Thinking laterally, this crop has existing markets in the textile industry and the medicinal industry, it also yields an edible oil and high protein seed. An ideal crop for Ethanol production, Hemp offers yet another dimension to a presently limited Tasmanian economy and potential fuel relief.

So many opportunities in the forefront of ethical industries, that benefit people, the economy and the environment.

If this is so good, why hasn’t it already happened? Follow the money trail. It’s the same reason we still use petrol & chemotherapy instead of superior alternatives that exist, long established, large corporations with vested economic interests. Full stop!

In 1997 I became aware that the American Alkaloid industry wrote to the Tasmanian government. I sighted the letter which stated emphatically and manipulatively that they would pull out of Tasmania unless the government of the day gave assurances that the Tas Uni/Patsy Harmsen “low” THC Hemp trials would not be given approval to proceed or proliferate. Along with draconian pressure from the forest industries, and politicians that privately invest, these flimsy reasons have dictated direction and are the reason that Tasmania is not already a world leader in clean green diverse industries.

Tasmanian politicians seem to still be stuck in an outmoded, disrespectful, environmentally and people unfriendly, economic groove. Selling our raw resources out from under us at unreasonably low prices to encourage investment?. Is it good economics for Tasmanians to sell out our forests/woodchips for $12.00 per tonne after expensive (taxpayer subsidized) industry extraction, cartage and chipping costs? It costs Tasmanians $110 per tonne, for firewood cut by individuals? Is it good economic sense to lose our arable farmland to chemically treated tree farms, that kill our wildlife and waterways, and won’t produce benefit for 20 years? Is it good economic sense to support “exclusively”, large corporate aims at the expense of broader population opportunities, benefits, and long term needs?

This useful plant with its well respected range of products, is still used in many countries where plastic has not taken over. It is simply superior to wood chips in every way. The Chinese would love to buy our hemp product range, if we had one.

Time to take a risk Tasmania, the new global trade and respect will be a worth it. We are worth it!

Rather than scrapping “Forestry Tasmania”, it could be expanded and renamed to “The Cellulose Fibre Board” to encompass the new multi-level market of the Hemp fibre source. Tourist operators will never again be scratching to say something positive about Forestry practices in Tasmania. A win/win for everyone. Now there’s a thought…

It’s time Tasmanians stopped allowing our resource economy from being ripped off by big corporations that take their profits elsewhere or prop up some ex-politicians private superannuation fund? To have the guts to finally do something smart, profitable and sustainable “ourselves”, in our communities, for our communities, here in Tasmania! No Guts, no Glory, most certainly applies to all great innovations. It’s about time Tasmanian’s started believing in our existing talent and infrastructure that can support this shift of fortunes and carbon footprint.

Better sooner than later given the carbon issue and ever more scrutiny from global environmental watchdogs, affecting tourism and investment flows. We could show the world a renewed strong economic base, diversifying into superior fibreboard products, textile, food & ethanol, resulting in high quality products that are in demand and using environmentally respectful processes.

In 1934, Henry Ford said “why use up the forests which were centuries in the making, the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the hemp fields?” Why indeed? Henry Ford went on to build a car made from hemp plastic and run on hemp bio-fuel. To see more…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rgDyEO_8cI

So Prime Minister, Premier & Ministers, save our state, save our farmers, save our tourism industry, our forests & wildlife…Help the world!

Help us… Align with the good of the future not the destructive past. Substitute the forest chip crop for a superior alternative that can also feed the world!

Premier Bartlett, you are an X Gener, show us you have the vision and guts to put diversity back into local industry and truly help diversely talented Tasmanians to support our future, better, for all concerned. Thank you for your time.

The study has been done!

The following represents a sample from universities in 3 states and industry representatives:

From the Queensland Government Primary Industries website:

Information paper on industrial hemp (industrial cannabis)

23 February 2007

Partial Version 7

2.3 Difference between industrial hemp and marijuana – THC concentration

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the classified psycho-active (mind-altering) ingredient in C. sativa that is produced in specialised glands (glandular trichomes). These glands are found primarily in the flowers surrounding the seeds, and, to a lesser extent, on the leaf surface of the plant. No such glands are produced on or in the seeds. The difference between marijuana and industrial hemp is that the THC concentration is significantly lower in industrial hemp than it is in marijuana. However, since seed is borne in the flowers that have a large number of glandular trichomes, traces of THC can cling to the seed hulls through the flower head’s sticky resin. The concentration of THC varies according to environmental influences (such as oxygen, light, moisture, and temperature) and genetic factors.

It is generally accepted that industrial hemp plants are those C. sativa plants with a concentration of THC less than 3%. The United States National Institute of Drug Abuse notes that most ordinary marijuana has an average THC concentration of 3%. Much of the illicit cultivated C. sativa has a much higher THC concentration than 3%. For example, sinsemal, also known as skunk, has a typical THC concentration range from 7.5 to 24%, although plants with a concentration higher than this range are also known to occur.

3. Products and markets

Traditionally, products made from industrial hemp fibre included rope and cordage, sailcloth, carpet backing, canvas, and apparel (such as the original Levi jeans made from hemp denim). Recent investigations have revealed that contemporary uses of industrial hemp may include reinforcing fibre for paper, fibre-reinforced plastics, polycomposites, fibreboards, geotextiles, textile fabrics (apparel and industrial), animal bedding, kitty litter, industrial absorbent products, and insulation. Many uses for the oil and seed have been developed or are under investigation, including animal stockfeed, soap, oil, paint and varnish, and cosmetics. In some countries, (not Australia), the seed and oil from hemp plants are used in food products.

In the European Union, cultivation of industrial hemp is more heavily weighted towards fibre than towards oilseed, with the production of about 27,000 tonnes of fibre versus only about 6,200 tonnes of seed in 1999 (Karus et al. 2000, cited Small and Marcus 2002). Conversely, the oilseed industry is the primary focus in Canada in recent years, with the breeding of new varieties and the development of improved technology for growing, harvesting and processing.

Some of the products into which industrial hemp plants can be or are being made are listed below, and, where appropriate, mention is made of present markets or future market possibilities.

5.4 Market demand

Industrial hemp products have found a place in niche markets in the developed world. There is speculation of more opportunities in the future, with some industry proponents estimating the international market for bast fibre to increase from 100,000 tonnes in 1999 to over 20 million tonnes by 2050. However, the prediction of market size has been fraught with difficulty in the past, with a dramatic over-estimation of market potential by Canada in the late 1990’s, with around 14,000 hectares grown (Industrial hemp in the United States: Status and Market Potential, USDA Report). The degree to which industrial hemp will meet market demand will depend on demonstrable proof that its products are of equal or superior quality to its competitors, at equal or reduced costs in adequate and consistently available amounts.

5.5 Access to markets

It has been estimated that approximately half of the world market for industrial hemp oil is currently for human food and food supplements. The comparatively higher profitability of producing seed and oil for this market than of producing plant products for other markets has been suggested. Current prohibition in Australia and New Zealand of industrial hemp seed and oil in novel food denies access to this potentially lucrative market.

From the Tasmanian Primary Industries website:

Industrial hemp

The identification of an ideal all-round industrial hemp cultivar continues with branch staff assisting Ecofibre Industries (based in Queensland) in conducting a hemp cultivar evaluation trial on Forthside Research Station. Four new hemp cultivars from Italy are being compared with two known, well performing cultivars for fibre production. About 40 hectares (100 acres) of industrial hemp has been approved for sowing this season. Profitability of the crop will become clearer once fibre is commercially separated and seed components for food are placed on the market. The prime marketable components of the hemp plant are hemp seed in the form of oil or seed cake (seed mash) and tensile hemp fibre (bast) or inner fibre (hurd). See the cultural guide for more information.
Food & Agriculture Tas Regions article March 2002

From the Department of primary industries and water

HEMP PRODUCTION – Industry comment

Australia is geographically well suited to the commercial production of industrial hemp. Additionally, some states, such as Queensland and Flinders Island have made the necessary legislative changes that allow commercial industrial hemp farming. Worldwide demand for hemp food and fibre products is growing daily. We are developing the distribution networks that will be needed to meet demand. Unfortunately, most hemp fibre products are still imported due to the fledgling size of the Australian hemp farming community. We have the ability to process and produce a variety of hemp fibre and cellulose based products but lack the supply of raw materials to justify investment in local manufacturing facilities to value add.

Australia, Eucalyptus & Hemp

In many countries around the world, the impact of decades of neglect and thoughtless exploitation of the natural environment is beginning to show. Australia is one such country. Despite much rhetoric to the contrary, it remains that our country continues to suffer severe degradation of the land, air and water due to thoughtless agricultural, forest and water management policies.

Fortunately, there have been small improvements. Forward thinking people have formed a “land care” organization to plant trees and practice more sustainable farming. There is a growing movement in Australia to introduce fibre hemp for the production of fabric and paper, as well as developing a ligno-cellulosic ethanol fuel industry. Despite recent developments in Europe and England, where fibre hemp cultivation under licence is in progress, little cultivation is taking place. The legislative power to regulate hemp is held by each state government. Modest progress has been made in Tasmania by the “Hemp for Paper” Consortium. In New South Wales, the most populous state with the most suitable agricultural land and climate, there has been a complete refusal by the authorities to allow fibre hemp trials, despite the support of Universities, agricultural firms and farmers. Economic projections have indicated that hemp will be a highly profitable crop, provided we can convince the government to follow the United Nations policy on fibre hemp and permit industrial scale trials.

Andrew Katelaris

Fiona Scott