Forest and Human Rights campaigners appear in court over Ta Ann protest

Today in Hobart magistrates court, two university students will appear, in charges they received when protesting at the Ta Ann mill in Smithton.

The two students will appear at 10am.

Australian Students Environment Network joined the Ta Ann campaign in July this year, when two protests were held, one at the Smithton veneer mill, the second a chain of destruction action in the south, where protests were held in Esperance old growth forest that Ta Ann has sourced timber from; and the veneer mill in the Huon Valley.

“Our campaign and protests against Ta Ann, will continue, as this company’s presence in Tasmania has been clouded by such controversy, from their unsustainable source of timber in Tasmania to their unethical practices in Sarawak,” Huon Valley Environment Centre’s Jenny Weber said.

“Meanwhile the Tasmanian Premier will tarnish the reputation of Tasmania’s brand by visiting Ta Ann’s Japanese customers, accompanied by members of the company, on her upcoming trade mission.

Despite Ta Ann continuing to source timber from controversial forests, including old growth forests in the Esperance that were promised protection.

Further, this is a company that has made a loss of $28 million since arriving in Tasmania. It is outrageous that Premier Giddings is visiting markets in Japan, for a company so unethical, and with operations in Tasmania that are neither environmentally or financially sustainable,” Jenny Weber said.

*Pic: The protest that led to the arrests