Green groups slam Gunns wood supply extension
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Under the agreement Gunns will buy 1.5 million tonnes of pulp wood from Forestry Tasmania each year. (ABC News: file photo)
Environmental groups have condemned Forestry Tasmania for extending its wood supply agreement for Gunns planned Tamar Valley pulp mill by two years.
Under the 20-year agreement Gunns will buy 1.5 million tonnes of pulp wood from Forestry Tasmania each year.
Wilderness Society spokesman Vica Bayley says the State Government should have intervened to prevent the extension.
Mr Bayley also said Gunns should admit the pulp mill project will not go ahead.
"Gunns need to show a bit of backbone here I think and actually admit to people that this isn't going to get up," he said.
"There are people across Tasmania, but particularly in the Tamar Valley, that have got their personal and business lives on hold."
Gunns maintains construction of the mill will begin well before the new deadline expires.
But Tasmania's Forest Industry has described the extension as a sign of confidence for the industry.
Terry Edwards from the Forest Industries Association says the decision shows there is still a bright future for the mill.
"If there was no confidence it would have been very easy for the proponent and Forestry Tasmania to renegotiate their agreement to recognise the fact there was no pulp mill," he said.
"They haven't done that because they both continue to recognise the high likelihood there was no fact pulp mill in Tasmania."
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