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NewsUK Government approves Australian forest management standardAustralia’s leader in forest certification, the Australian Forestry Standard (AFS), has today received a tick of approval by the UK GovernmentAustralia’s leader in forest certification, the Australian Forestry Standard (AFS), has today received a tick of approval by the UK Government. AFS forest certification provides purchasers of forest products the assurance that wood is sourced from forests which are legally and sustainably managed. The organisation which advises UK Government departments on buying forest products from responsible sources, the Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET), has approved forest products carrying certification by the internationally recognised Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), the world’s largest forest certification scheme, of which the AFS is a member. PEFC certifies almost 200 million hectares of legally and sustainably managed forests throughout the world. NAFI’s Chief Executive Officer, Catherine Murphy, says, “The Australian forest industry welcomes the announcement and congratulates the AFS and the PEFC for achieving the approval of the UK Government. This follows an extensive review process by CPET of international forest certification schemes”. “Well over 8 million hectares of Australian forests are certified through the AFS, which includes the government forestry operations of NSW, Queensland, South Australia, and Tasmania. The Victorian Government’s forestry manager, Vicforests, is close to achieving AFS certification and it is hoped that Western Australian government forestry operations will be certified to the AFS in the near future,” said Mrs Murphy. Mrs Murphy was part of a delegation to the UK earlier this year, led by Australian Government officials, to explain Australia’s sustainable forestry practices. This was also to counter a misleading campaign by Australian environmental groups to destroy our forest products export markets. “The campaign by Australian environmental groups has been a complete failure and has exposed the misinformation and distortions they presented to the UK Government and the review process about Australia’s world-class forestry standards and the AFS,” said Ms Murphy. “Already similar campaigns have failed in Japan and it is pleasing to see that the UK Government has ignored the misleading information spread by Australian environmental organisations. “Particular thanks go to the former Forestry Minister, Senator the Hon Ian Macdonald, and the current Forestry Minister, Senator the Hon Eric Abetz, for their advocacy of this issue with UK Government Ministers. Staff of the Australian High Commission in London also played a key role in their dealings with UK Government officials on this issue,” Mrs Murphy said. Links: www.defra.gov.uk www.pefc.org www.forestrystandard.org.au Return to the News Archive |
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