Timcon AGM focuses on Brexit and collaboration

Subjects covered in presentations included Brexit, PRNs, packaging waste and cross-industry collaboration.

Speaking on Brexit, Timcon president John Dye said the organisation had worked intensely with government, Defra and the Forestry Commission, among others, to ensure the sector and its supply chain customers were as prepared as possible.

He added that there is still a “severe lack of accurate guidance from government” on how to prepare forBrexit, saying this is a problem faced by every country in the EU, not just UK manufacturers.

However, he said, Timcon has developed a strong dialogue with Defra, which is helping promote to decision makers the fact that the risk posed by wood packaging material (WPM) to plant health remains low, regardless of whether the UK is in the EU or not.

Fiona McKenna of Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) told the meeting that although its advice is that all WPM entering the EU from the UK after Brexit should be ISPM15 compliant, its plant health policy is not changing on EU exit and DAERA was engaging with business on an industry-wide basis.

“Our department will work collaboratively to protect trade and enhance biosecurity on the island of Ireland,” she said, adding that while the necessary control systems are already in place, the workload after Brexit in terms of issuing phytosanitary certificates would increase significantly, so DAERA’s focus is on increasing its capacity to ensure it can deal with this.

Delegates also heard that Timcon has played an important role in the government’s consulation process on reforming the UK packaging producer responsibility system, notably the review of the percentage ecover targets.

Thanks partly to Timcon’s involvement, Defra has proposed that the current 48% target should reduce to 36%, before dropping to 30% in 2025 and 2030. The UK will then be in line with Europe.

Timcon has also lobbied hard on the subject of PRNs, said Mr Dye and had been part of the Advisory Committee on Packaging (ACP). This involved meetings with the Wood Recyclers Association, the Wood Panel Industries’ Federation (WPIF) and Confor, with the goal of presenting a “united wood” position.

“Collaborations such as these are a vital part of Timcon’s work in representing its members, both at home and on the international stage,” said Mr Dye.