Animal rights campaigners are calling for a boycott of Tasmania in protest at the felling of native trees.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) is urging its 800,000 members to boycott Tasmanian products and refuse to travel to the state where nearly one-quarter of the economy is dependent on tourism and food exports.
More than 60 square miles of Tasmania’s native forest was logged last year. Peta is particularly concerned that native forests are clearfelled and replanted with fast-growing plantation timbers. Poison is put down to kill animals which may eat plantation seedlings.
Another cause for concen is the relationship between timber company Gunns and the state government, with some environmentalists claiming the two are in alliance.
