The Problem with Palm Oil: Sustainability

Tags

CSPO, deforestation, industrial farming, Orangutans, Palm Done Right, palm oil plantations, slash and burn, sustainability, WWF

This is Part II of an article I wrote about palm oil in December 2015: Palm Oil: Heart of Darkness — Doc Antle

Old Man of the Forest — ©Doc Antle 2012

A World on Fire
By now many have heard about the devastating effect slash and burn palm oil farming practices have had on the environment and charismatic wildlife in places like Borneo and Sumatra. Industrial farming interests have shown little regard for the flora and fauna of the region as they burn off vast swaths of land in preparation to produce cheap palm oil. Most visible of the suffering are the orangutans that have been driven from their homes by fire, with hundreds of young orangs orphaned when their mothers burned to death. But is this unsustainable model truly the future of palm oil production?

Orangutans at Risk
In 2012, the Rare Species Fund, traveled to Borneo to film a documentary about the life of the incomparable orangutan researcher, Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas—Orangutan Foundation International. During our travels, we visited the orangutan orphanage, seeing hundreds of orphaned babies lamenting the loss of their mothers to fire as a tool used to clear land for palm oil plantations. The trauma these babies were experiencing was heart wrenching. And to realize, that this was once an incomparable eden filled with one of our closest living relatives; there are no words to describe the shock and depth of suffering we witnessed.

Orphaned baby Orangutans at the field station run by Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas — ©Doc Antle 2012

What is Palm Oil?
Palm oil is an edible plant oil which has become a common ingredient in many consumer products. It is the most widely consumed vegetable oil on the planet. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), “palm oil is the world’s highest yielding oil crop, with an output 5–10 times greater per [acre] than other leading vegetable oils.” In other words, it’s efficient and cheap to produce. And everything from processed food and vitamins to lotion and lip balm— candy and candles— shampoo and toothpaste, all contain palm oil.

Is Palm Oil the Most Environmentally Responsible Choice?
In a word, yes. Palm Oil is really the only choice. Some may take issue with calling palm oil environmentally responsible, however the facts are indisputable:

1. The world is overpopulated and demand for cheap vegetable oil is at an all-time high and continuing to grow.
2. Palm oil is the world’s highest yielding oil crop, with an output 5–10 times greater per acre than other vegetable oils.
3. Palm oil alternatives with poorer yields require greater acreage and resources to support similar production.

There is no question, palm oil is the best choice for sustainability because it requires less space and fewer resources to produce. It is very ecologically efficient. The sustainability problem is not with palm oil itself, but the slash and burn practices of current production models that have led to so much carnage of the natural world.

Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas — ©Doc Antle 2012

Boycotting Palm Oil Could Make the Problem Worse!
Even if boycotting palm oil proved successful (which it has not), it would only drive producers to alternative oils. Since the alternatives would destroy even more land and wildlife,  models of palm oil production that encourage responsibility and sustainability appear to be the answer. One thing is clear, avoiding palm oil or boycotting palm oil, has not worked, nor is it likely to work in the future. Orangutans, tigers and rhinos continue to die every day.

Sustainable Palm Oil Production
The WWF model of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO), as outlined in their report entitled Profitability and Sustainability in Palm Oil Production, requires the certification of industrial farmers for best practices demanded by product producers. Ideally, the certification would ensure that the palm oil used is being grown in the most ecologically responsible way, and that land used to produce palm oil was not converted from land that was of High Conservation Value (HCV). The basis of this model is that product producers hold palm oil producers to a higher standard in the production of oil to be used in their products. The approach is consistent with certifications used in other industries such as seafood and organic farming.

The Palm Done Right model of sustainability combines fair trade principles with a certification process similar to the organic farming movement. It encourages small farmers to get involved with palm oil production by guaranteeing minimum market prices for certified growers, and providing education on best organic farming practices to increase production and yield on a smaller scale.

It remains to be seen whether the WWF or Palm Done Right model for sustainability will  ultimately work to reign in practices currently being used to produce palm oil. But at a minimum, these two sustainability models are moving the conversation forward toward the responsible production of this vital vegetable oil. It is a cold hard fact that the worlds population is increasing, and correspondingly, the demand for vegetable oil is also increasing. There is no evidence that this dynamic will change anytime soon. Since palm oil is the most efficient oil to produce, it will likely be the oil of choice for product producers for years to come. The only hope for orangutans and other creatures of the forest will be for sustainable practices to take hold in this industry before it’s too late.

In Borneo, the deforestation by fire was obscene. We tried to help more than 300 orphaned baby orangutans find refuge. — Doc Antle 2012

The Rare Species Fund team, from left to right, Robert Johnson, Moksha Bybee and Doc Antle — ©Doc Antle 2012

Stop the Horror
Never before has such large scale industrial farming used such destructive slash and burn techniques to provide millions of consumers with everyday household products. Never before has there been such a raging firestorm engulfing high value biologically diverse habitat for critically endangered orangutans, tigers and rhinos. The homes for these charismatic creatures, and thousands of other plant and animal species, are being burned to the ground at a staggering pace. Although there is still hope of sustainably producing palm oil, without people like you taking action to demand sustainability, that hope is but a flicker on the path toward Armageddon. Are we already too late? Take action for Tigers, Orangutans and Rhinos today!

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The Rare Species Fund is working closely with Biologist Rudi Putra to rebuild the Soraya Forest Research Station in Sumatra after it was burned to the ground by criminals. The fate of Sumatran orangutans, tigers and rhinos hang in the balance. The Rare Species Fund just sent Dr. Putra a check for $25,000 to continue his work. You can HELP! — Doc Antle

USDA Protects Captive Wildlife Stakeholders

Tags

animal rights, Animal Welfare Act, AZA, conservation, Doc Antle, HSUS, inspection reports, PETA, racketeering, transparency, USDA/Aphis, ZAA

Million dollar swimming enrichment and interactive learning facility at TIGERS

HSUS Smear Campaign
Last month the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) attempted to smear the good name of TIGERS with lawmakers in South Carolina. They passed out a handout characterizing TIGERS as a “roadside zoo,” alleging “violations” of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA), and citing “inspection reports” from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Well nothing could have been further from the truth. TIGERS has never had a violation of the AWA. And now USDA has taken steps to prevent animal rights activists from misusing their good work to defame legitimate stakeholders.

As some of you may know, there is a bill in the South Carolina legislature that seeks to regulate the ownership of big cats, non-native bears and great apes. It will require owners to have a USDA license or register their animals with local animal control. Last month, TIGERS attended a committee hearing on the bill at the House Agriculture Committee. During the hearing HSUS testified that they would like to see all primates added to the list of animals regulated, and further, they wanted all owners to be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), a private trade association that has the endorsement of HSUS with an agreement to promote HSUS ideology.

Intention to Deceive
After the hearing, the HSUS lobbyist gave the bill sponsor a handout that implied TIGERS was a sub-par “roadside zoo” with multiple “violations” of the AWA. As evidence, the handout cited USDA “inspection reports.” When the citations in the handout were followed, they didn’t lead to the USDA website, but to the website for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA). PeTA, using the publicly available, pre-decisional reports that had been available on the USDA website, had created their own ideologically based interpretations designed to make stakeholders look like villains. The actual reports were quite benign, and amounted only to minor “non-compliance” issues that every zoo deals with every day.

A teachable moment is a minor non-compliant item that: 1) the facility is willing and able to correct quickly; 2) is not impacting the welfare of any animal(s); and 3) has not previously been cited. — USDA/APHIS, January 2016

There is a huge difference between a “non-compliance” issue, and a “violation.” These minor compliance issues are easily corrected prior to USDA follow up; facts conveniently omitted by PeTA, and happily exaggerated by HSUS to indict TIGERS for “violations.” Violations are serious, and constitute grounds for USDA to revoke a stakeholder’s license. Again, TIGERS has never had a violation of the Animal Welfare  Act.

TIGERS/ Myrtle Beach Safari
The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (TIGERS) is one of the top wildlife preserves in the country. We are accredited by the Zoological Association of America and licensed, inspected and regulated by the USDA. Our facility is built outside of Myrtle Beach on 50 acres and houses approximately 100 animals. We have invested millions of dollars in a state-of-the-art, interactive facility that is unmatched anywhere in the country. Our investment in handler training, humane care, secure containment, and enrichment for our animal ambassadors, is far beyond what is required by the USDA. We are proud of the fact that we bring millions of tourist dollars into South Carolina every year.

Tree House and Rope Bridge at TIGERS

USDA Moves to Protect Stakeholders from Animal Rights Abuses
Because of abuses by HSUS, PeTA and other animal rights groups, the USDA has changed it’s policy about the types of information made available on their website.

USDA/APHIS is implementing actions to remove documents it posts on APHIS’ website involving the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) that contain personal information. These documents include inspection reports, research facility annual reports, regulatory correspondence, lists of regulated entities, and enforcement records (such as pre-litigation settlement agreements and administrative complaints) that have not received final adjudication.— USDA/APHIS, February 4, 2017

The USDA decision to provide some protection from the malicious characterizations of USDA  reports is supported by the Zoological Association of America (ZAA), the second largest zoological accrediting body in the United States.

For too long the Federal Government through the USDA has been violating the privacy of citizens with its acts of intrusion in the name of transparency. The USDA records availability were intended for use by animal welfare advocates to monitor government regulation of animals and the treatment of wild and domestic animals. However, this welfare information soon became the fuel and ammunition of animal rights activists in a smear campaign to discredit zoos and animal owners.— ZAA, February 9, 2017

HSUS/ PeTA Track Record
It is important to understand, that while groups like HSUS and PeTA portend to protect animals, their interest is purely ideological. The primary mission of most animal rights groups is to raise money using slick propaganda designed to tug at the heart strings of an animal loving American public. They are very good at this, but HSUS and PeTA are not in the business of caring for animals. The idea that with no practical experience they could analyze and interpret USDA reports without ever visiting a facility is preposterous.

Marketing materials showing abused dogs and cats suggest HSUS plays an active role in caring for homeless pets, however according to HSUS’ 2015 annual report, they took in over $194 million with less than 1% donated to animal shelters. They operate no animal shelters on their own. But HSUS did find enough in their budget to spend over $33 million on fundraising. Additionally, in 2014 HSUS and co-defendants were forced to pay almost $16 million to settle a Racketeering Lawsuit filed against them, after the judge discovered evidence of witness tampering and bribery by an HSUS subsidiary and their attorneys.

PeTA is just as bad, maybe even worse. According to a watchdog group, in 2009 PeTA “rescued” 2366 dogs and cats. 31 were transferred to other facilities. 8 were adopted out. 2,301 were killed at PeTA’s little shop of horrors in Norfolk, VA. That’s a kill rate of over 97%. PeTA’s idea of “rescue” appears to be euthanasia on a grand scale.

Thank You to the USDA/APHIS
It is a huge step for USDA to limit the ease with which animal rights groups abuse efforts at transparency. We consider USDA to be a crucial partner in creating an ever improving environment for our beloved animal ambassadors. With the help of USDA we bring the message of conservation of these magical creatures to thousands of people every year.

Doc Antle, Director of TIGERS and the Rare Species Fund