Golden Agri-Resources reacts to Greenpeace campaign with new policy

The policy pushes the Singapore-listed firm to have no development on High Carbon Stock forests, High Conservation Value forest areas and peat lands.

According to Phillip Securities Research, the Forest Conservation Policy was developed to have respect for indigenous and local communities and to be in compliance with all relevant laws and Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil Principles and Criteria.

Recall that sometime last year, Greenpeace had aggressively campaigned against GGR, claiming that the palm oil company has illegally cleared HCV forests, planted on peat lands and hence endangering the Orang Utans and biodiversity. These allegations have subsequently caused contract cancellations from Unilever, Nestle and Burger King. GGR then engaged two independent bodies, CUC and BSI to conduct an independent verification exercise, still then interpretation and conclusions of the IVEX findings clashed between different parties. We are glad that after all the finger-pointing, we are finally seeing some constructive developments coming out of that episode.

According to TFT’s executive director, Scott Poynton the agreement will go into immediate effect and the fieldwork will take about six months in the first half of 2011. TFT’s role in the partnership is to guide and ensure that plantations are not developed at the expense of carbon rich forests.

The move has also gotten the support of Greenpeace, the NGO stated that it will give GGR time to act on its new policy. Meanwhile it will halt its aggressive campaigns against the Group but will keep a close watch as the process moves ahead.

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