Anyone interested in purchasing the plantation and forest assets of failed company Gunns Ltd would be well advised to take community opposition to a Tamar Valley pulp mill into account as part of their due diligence research, according to TAP spokesperson Mr Tim Thorne.
Mr Thorne said today that the permits for construction of the mill were still subject to a challenge in the court, adding an element of risk to such a large investment.
“Without certification by the Forest Stewardship Council pulp from the mill would be unsaleable, ” Mr Thorne said, “and such certification would certainly not be granted if feedstock for the mill was sourced from unsustainable land management practice.”
“No mill of the size proposed can operate profitably using only the currently available plantation timber due to the lack of both quality and quantity of the Tasmanian resource. There has been no replanting of this resource since the collapse of the company and the industry, so the long-term outlook for investment in this venture is bleak indeed, ” Mr Thorne said.
“TAP believes that what is needed is proper plantation restoration management with alternative tree species, aimed at best practice in resource value recovery, based on whole life-cycle assessment processes, ” Mr Thorne said.
“There are alternative product development options that have so far deliberately not been examined by those who wish to keep promoting the long worn-out pro pulp mill case in the public arena,” he added.
Tim Thorne Media Officer, Tasmanians Against the Pulp Mill Inc.
