Green Party MP Caroline Lucas says that 100 MPs have now signed her early day motion to extend the upcoming EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) right along the supply chain, making it an offence for distributors and retailers to handle illegal wood.
In its present state the EUTR, which comes into force next March, will make it an offence for companies to ‘first place’ illegal timber onto the EU market. But if illegal material does get into the supply chain, those who sell it on will not be liable to prosecution. However, Ms Lucas said this was not the spirit of the regulation as originally conceived.
“The UK government did want to make it an offence to handle illegal timber anywhere in the supply chain and Greg Barker (minister of state for energy and climate change) made particularly strong statements to that effect,” she said. “But it was then decided to water down the legislation and limit its coverage to first placers. The danger is that shell companies will set up to import illegal timber, then disappear, leaving the material on the market, and no means of prosecuting anyone who trades in it. So as far as the EUTR eliminating illegal timber is concerned, at the moment I believe the job is not done.”
Ms Lucas said she has also drafted a private members bill to get parliamentary time to discuss the issue.
