Cattle Australia Claims Clearing Forests Grown After 1990 Shouldn’t Be Considered Deforestation

Cattle Australia has faced criticism from environmental groups for suggesting that forests grown after 1990 should be considered acceptable to clear and not defined as deforestation. Organizations such as Greenpeace, the Australian Conservation Foundation, and the Wilderness Society have condemned the proposal, accusing the industry of trying to dilute the definition of deforestation in response to increasing global demand for products that haven't caused deforestation.

The peak body for grass-fed cattle producers and the Australian government are pushing back against new EU laws banning imported goods produced in deforested land, set to take effect in January 2025. Dr. Don Butler, an ecologist at the Australian National University, has criticized the proposal, stating that it may provide a loophole for continued deforestation under the guise of agriculture. The environmental groups have emphasized the importance of not allowing native forests and woodlands to be bulldozed and labeled as 'deforestation-free,' calling it greenwashing and urging banks and supermarkets to not support it.