Forestry Bill raises hackles
THE STORM OVER THE FORESTS (Regulation of Log Traders & Forestry Advisers) Amendment Bill is still in full force. The Forest Owners Association (FOA) says more exports of processed timber products from NZ looks a good prospect on paper but Forestry Minister, Shane Jones’ current Log Bill is not going to achieve this and there are better options.
This was in response to favourable statements from the NZ Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association (WPMA) (covered in June’s Forest Talk pages). The WPMA says the regulations will result in diversion of export logs to local sawmillers at cheaper prices.
“Neither the basis nor the effects of the Bill have been researched at all, and it is being rushed through under urgency. As the NZ Institute of Economic Research has pointed out, a comparable policy to protect Australian car manufacturing has cost a fortune and ended in disaster,” says FOA President, Phil Taylor.
Mr Taylor says the WPMA Chairman, Brian
Stanley’s claim that the Bill would bring forestry into line with the rest of the land based industries is not accurate. He uses strong words: “There is no part of the NZ primary sector which has ever had a regime imposed where exports were expected to subsidise local manufacturing. It’s a WPMA fantasy.
“Likewise, Mr Stanley asserts that since other countries subsidise their timber industry, then the solution should be more processing in NZ sawmills, with foresters forced to pay for it.
“That is misguided and dangerous. The international market in timber is way more subsidised and protected than the international log market. Mr Stanley would take us out of a Post-COVID and developing international log trade protection smouldering fire, into a red-hot blast furnace of trade protectionism for timber products.”
He suggests instead, a timber preference policy for wood construction: “The biggest opportunities are in timber product innovation. The future lies in a bio economy, and our plantation forests can be part of that exciting future. We want to embrace that with our science teams and government. We’d like to hope that WPMA would have the vision to be part of that as well.”
NZL