Greenpeace blocks pulp cargo from destroyed forests

A huge cargo of pulp and paper made from wrecked ancient forests has been blocked from leaving Finland today by Greenpeace activists.

The freight ship Antares was prevented from loading at the western Finnish port of Kemi. Her cargo was destined to make magazines in Europe. A similar ship loaded with pulp made from the last ancient forests in Finland comes to the UK every week.

The world's largest paper company, Stora Enso, buys logs from areas of ancient forests in Lapland, which the Finnish Government is destroying in contravention to their own conservation laws. The Finnish state owns around a quarter of Stora Enso and wholly owns the logging company responsible, Metsähallitus.

Finland's ancient forests are crucial for the indigenous Sámi reindeer herders of Lapland, who rely on the forests for their traditional livelihood of reindeer herding.

The Sámi have repeatedly asked the Finnish government to stop logging; last month, a court ordered the government to stop logging but they ignored the order.

Phil Aikman, Greenpeace forests campaigner, said: "It's a crime that thousand-year-old ancient forests end up as glossy magazines lying on coffee tables.

"Paper companies, like Stora Enso, must stop trading in forest destruction immediately."

The UK is the second largest global importer of Finnish pulp and paper products after Germany. UK customers contributing to Finland's ancient forest destruction include major players in the magazine and book publishing industries such as BBC, EMAP and IPC.