Barry Gardiner MP, the prime minister’s special envoy for forestry, will address the next Chatham House Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation meeting on his proposals for tough illegal logging legislation in the UK.
He will form part of the morning session on the second day of the event, in London on June 9-10, and will discuss his ideas for Lacey Act-style legislation in the UK, which includes five-year prison sentences and £100,000 fines for “serious, sustained offences”.
At a July 2007 Chatham House meeting, Mr Gardiner shocked the timber trade when he claimed it was “sick” for using concerns for indigenous peoples as a reason to oppose the government’s updated procurement policy.
The next Chatham House meeting will also look at work on additional legislation options through the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade process and voluntary partnership agreements.
Other topics during the two-day event will include China’s role in the international timber market, defining a common starting point for voluntary legality verification, the latest on public procurement policies and updates on industry initiatives to promote legality.
