UK timber – a safe and easy option

D-day for the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) is nearly upon us, and the word is that environmental NGOs will use it to put the spotlight on illegal logging overseas and how such timber passes into the international timber trade.

Representing UK producers, I was supportive of the EUTR when it was negotiated in Brussels, but was a lonely voice in meetings with the then secretary of state, Hilary Benn. I asked that the domestic sector be excluded from the EUTR, given official figures confirmed that illegal felling in the UK is statistically insignificant. The government's advice, however, was that any legislation had to apply within the EU, as well as outside.

Driving illegal timber out of the supply chain is a moral, social and environmental issue, as well as one of self-interest. The poor image of forestry in some countries undermines the strong story of wood, whether UK-produced or imported. However, it is vital that the EUTR does not also result in additional costs and bureaucracy for hard-pressed UK woodland owners, or the wood-processing sector.

Confor has liaised with Defra and the National Measurement Office (NMO) to understand how legislation designed for timber importing applies to domestic woodland owners, and how UK 'operators' can satisfy the legislation if investigated.

The NMO has taken a refreshingly informed and understanding line towards UK forestry, recognising it is one of the most low-risk places in the world. The domestic sector will do what is required, seeking to demonstrate compliance while continuing to do business in what is a lowmargin industry. I would ask that 'traders' buying UK-produced wood recognise that the UK is a very low-risk place to do business and do not ask for additional paperwork and assurances that are not required by the EUTR.

The EUTR requires that a trader who is not an operator, ie buying wood that has already been placed on the market, need only record from whom the timber was bought and to whom it was sold.

Sourcing wood harvested from within the UK is a safe and easy option, and it can help pay for the management of a key feature in our countryside.

? TTJ Industry Updates are a forum for trade bodies to address key issues.