May, 06 2010, 04:01pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Nell Greenberg Communications
Manager (415) 659-0557
Margaret
Swink Communications Manager (415) 659-0541
Brianna Cayo Cotter Communications
Manager (415) 659-0534
Rainforest Action Network Stands By Evidence That Cargill Is Destroying Rainforests
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.
Rainforest Action Network (RAN) released the following statement
today in response to Cargill's denial of the evidence presented in our
May 4, 2010 report, Cargill's Problem with Palm Oil: A Burning Threat in
Borneo.
"No one wishes more than we do that Cargill wasn't destroying
rainforests. Pictures and maps don't lie, however.
"We stand by the evidence released in our report that Cargill's
plantations in Indonesia are cutting down rainforests, violating the
Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), and are out of compliance
with Indonesian law."
"We believe that Cargill's statement confirms our evidence that
Cargill's CTP Holdings has in fact cleared rainforests on PT Indo Sawit
Kekal and that their plantations are in an - at best - irregular
permitting situation. We are encouraged that Cargill claims in their
response to have performed social and environmental assessments that are
not currently in the public domain. If this is true, we urge them to
make these important documents public as soon as possible."
"Evidence presented in our report clearly shows that Cargill is
burning rainforests and destroying peatlands, polluting waterways and
failing to consult or compensate communities as they are required to do
under RSPO rules, Indonesian law and international law. They are also
failing to provide transparency within their supply chain, or to screen
out particularly problematic suppliers, including SALCRA and Sinar Mas
Group."
"Wishing inconvenient truths away does not make them any less true.
We urge Cargill to take immediate and public action to address the
problems presented in our report."
The full text of RAN's report can be found here: https://www.ran.org/cargillreport
Maps and pictures from the report can be downloaded, free, here: https://rainforestactionnetwork.smugmug.com/Palm-Oil/Cargills-Problems-Wi...
Rainforest Action Network (RAN) is headquartered in San Francisco, California with offices staff in Tokyo, Japan, and Edmonton, Canada, plus thousands of volunteer scientists, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens around the world. We believe that a sustainable world can be created in our lifetime and that aggressive action must be taken immediately to leave a safe and secure world for our children.
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