January 2009

Citing continuing and worrying levels of deforestation throughout South East Asia, the Palm Oil Action Group today announced its intention to run a wave of consumer letter writing actions right across Australia.

The Palm Oil Action Group will be conducting these actions outside Woolworths and KFC as a follow up to their recent successful protests.

Indonesia is setting the world record for its rampant deforestation, at a rate of 300 soccer fields an hour, and is the world's third largest CO2 emitter. In the last analysed year 23 per cent of accumulated greenhouse gasses were a result of deforestation and biomass burning and the clearing of primary rainforest for palm oil is a major contributor.

In our world today people often feel powerless – they ask ‘what difference can I make’ - and this wave of actions will answer that question’ says Campaign Coordinator, Anasuya Claff. ‘There is no doubt that consumer pressure works. A similar and very successful campaign recently run in the UK caused two of the UK’s biggest retail names (Asda and the Body Shop) to ban the use of unsustainable palm oil in their own products and to pressure their supply chains to do the same.'

Australians unknowingly consume an average of 10kg of palm oil each year, and it has been estimated that 10% of all supermarket products contain it as a (usually hidden) ingredient. As the worlds hunger for palm oil grows, mega monoculture plantations are fast replacing the last wilderness areas of Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, threatening species such as Orangutans, Sumatran Tigers, Rhinos and Asian Elephants with extinction. The latest estimates show that unless we act now orangutans in the wild may be extinct within 20 years.

And it’s not just our rainforests and endangered animals that are suffering – millions of local farmers and indigenous peoples have also been displaced by palm oil companies.  Often land is cleared in violation of Indigenous peoples’ customary rights with no community consultation or land acquisition process. Displaced people who once lived off the land now have no access to food, water or a place to live.

A recent report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination states: “Experience with existing and extensive oil palm plantations in other parts of Indonesia conclusively demonstrates that Indigenous peoples’ property and other rights are disregarded, their right to consent is not respected, some are displaced, and they are left with no alternative but to become de facto bonded labourers gathering oil palm fruit for the companies that manage the plantations.”

‘The aim of this wave of actions is not only to increase consumer awareness of what ingredients are really going into their shopping trolleys, but also to bring Australia together to declare to the big supermarkets and fast food outlets that ‘WE ARE AWARE AND WE DO CARE.’  There is no future in unsustainable palm oil production and we are calling on our corporate citizens to use their power to ensure that there is no more clearing of primary rainforest to grow palm oil.’

Palm Oil actions and sticker campaigns will be held across Australia in 2009, and the Palm Oil Action Group is on the look out for passionate and enthusiastic volunteers.  Interested parties should contact Anasuya via email at anasuya@palmoilaction.org.au.

The Palm Oil Action Group is a coalition of not for profit organisations in Australia and New Zealand whose aim is to stop the clearing of critical rainforest ecosystems for use as palm oil plantations.

The coalition includes:

For more information contact Anasuya Claff on 0431 779 644, or at anasuya@palmoilaction.org.au or see our web site www.palmoilaction.org.au.