Plantations, poverty and power - Critical Information Collective

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of converting grasslands to industrial tree plantations, stating instead that “Natural forests are not
converted to plantations.” Carrere notes that “The certifiers appear to be totally uninterested in the fact
that . . . grassland areas would lose their original characteristics.”
One of the problems associated with the plantations in Uruguay is an increase in wild boars, foxes and
venomous snakes. For sheep farmers this is a serious problem. The snakes have also killed pigs, calves,
cows and even horses.
WRM spoke to two ex-workers of Forestal Oriental who had developed allergic skin reactions to the
chemicals they were employed to spray on the plantations. A current worker said that Forestal Oriental
gave workers protective equipment, but most workers did not use it because it was uncomfortable. “With
this heat, you try working with gloves on!” he said.
WRM’s report notes that Forestal Oriental is among the most highly regarded employers in the plantation
sector in Uruguay. But this is a result of government legislation, not FSC certification. Several people
pointed out that working conditions had improved because the Ministry of Labour was monitoring
compliance with labour legislation much more closely under the new government that came into power in
March 2005. They commented that since 2005 workers could form unions whereas “before they weren’t
allowed to form unions”.
WRM’s researchers visited an area called Paraje Pence in the department of Soriano to investigate the
impact of the plantations on water supply. “All the people here have been left with no water,” one of the
local men told them. “I have a little bit but the well is dirty. Close to here where my father lives there’s no
water at all.”
Another villager told WRM, “I’ve lived here my whole life, and we never had any problems with water
until they established all these plantations around eight years ago. Now we depend on the local
government to bring us water.”
A local nurse explained how the lack of water has serious health impacts:
“The thing is that here, aside from the fact that people have been left without water in their wells, all of
the freshwater ponds have disappeared too. So sometimes, when people have no water to wash their kids
before bringing them to see the doctor, they just don’t bring them. There’s a girl who’s had lots of
operations, and is still really weak. Last week she was supposed to come and see the doctor, but because
the local authorities hadn’t delivered water for two weeks, she didn’t even have enough to wash her
hands, so she didn’t come.”
FSC responded to WRM’s report not by investigating these problems, but by asking for a response from
the certifying organisation, SGS. Under the FSC system, SGS is paid by the company it is certifying, in
this case Forestal Oriental. Clearly it is not in SGS’s interest to delve too deeply into any of these issues.
SGS’s response to FSC is not available to the public, but it was apparently enough to reassure FSC. “FSC
guarantees peace of mind to consumers” was the headline of FSC’s press release. 343 While this may or
343 Ricardo Carrere (2006) “Certified plantations in Uruguay: Can the FSC really guarantee peace of mind to
consumers” World Rainforest Movement Bulletin 108, July 2006.