From next month companies will have to ensure they only sell wood that has been legally logged from known sources in the UK. Source: Business Green
Businesses have been told that from March they could face stiff penalties if they cannot prove any timber they are selling has not been illegally harvested.
On March 3 the UK will adopt the EU’s timber legislation, which will not only mandate companies to check where timber has been harvested or if it has been logged illegally, but will also allow inspectors to enter business premises and seize any illegally harvested wood.
Placing illegally logged timber on the market will become a criminal offence, resulting in a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
New offences will also be created for failing to keep information on the source of timber, obstructing inspectors, and for failing to comply with improvements notices, all of which will carry a maximum penalty of a £5000 ($7636) fine.
The EU regulations are designed to bring the bloc into line with countries such as Japan, Australia, and the US and tackle a global illegal timber trade that is thought to result in between 20% and 40% of all illegally logged timber being sold in Europe.
“These tough new laws will force the minority of timber importers who bring in illegally harvested wood to think again or risk imprisonment,” said UK’s Environment Minister Richard Benyon in a statement.
“Illegally harvested timber destroys wildlife habitats and forces reputable traders out of business – this practice has to stop.”
PEFC is in the last stages of the revision of its Chain of Custody standard, which aligns it with the EUTR requirements.
