News
Statement about Civil Public Action - 07.16.08
Veracel Celulose received with surprise a judicial sentence, published June 17th in the Brazilian Official Gazette, based on a Public Civil Action filed by the Federal Public Attorney (FPA), as a result of a 1993 accusation against Veracruz Florestal Ltda, concerning the deforestation of an area of 64 hectares.
In the decision, the judge claims that Veracel’s permits issued by CEPRAM (Bahia State Committee for the Environment) are not valid as Veracel did not undertake a Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA/RIMA). According to the decision, 47 thousand hectares of Veracel’s current plantations should be cut down and reforested with native trees within one year. The decision also imposes a possible fine of BRL 20 million on Veracel.
Veracel states that all its operations are in full compliance with all Brazilian laws. And also that, by that time, it was made and presented to the CRA (Bahia State Environmental Protection Agency) an EIA/RIMA, allowing the issuance by CEPRAM in 1995 of the operational licenses for industrial and forestry activities.
Veracel has already asked the court for clarification of the judgement and is taking all the necessary measures in its defense.
Veracel has as policy to use only areas previously degraded. The company keeps protected native vegetation comprising Atlantic Rainforest and forest under regeneration area of approximately 104 thousand hectares. In addition the company has, by its own initiative, an ongoing project to restore each year some 400 hectares of local rainforest. Veracel keeps also a Public Rainforest Reserve of around 6000 hectares called Estação Veracel. Veracel has resolved that its plantations will only occupy with eucalyptus half of the lands it has acquired, meaning that for each planted hectare there is one protected hectare, a much larger figure than the 20% of preservation area required by law.
Veracel is today is the 6th largest State of Bahia exporter and employs, directly and indirectly, 3.859 persons. Veracel has paid in 2007 municipal, state and federal taxes equivalent to around BRL 90.51 million.