Pressure is being exerted on the government to act over Brazilian mahogany after the European Commission (EC) and CITES, the body that regulates international trade in endangered species, both advised the wood should not be imported.

The Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) says it is ‘reviewing’ the advice but stressed no mahogany shipments to the UK are expected in the near future.

The EC and CITES acted over concerns about whether Brazilian mahogany being shipped was legally extracted.

An EC statement said: ‘The EC advises member states not to accept export permits for specimens of Swietenia macrophylla (Brazilian or big leaf mahogany) from Brazil until further notice without first obtaining from the Brazilian authorities a statement that those specimens were legally acquired.’

A CITES spokesperson said that as Brazil is unsure whether mahogany logged is legal or not, its position is that export permits already granted were issued contrary to the provisions of the European Convention. ‘It is up to the individual country to take action or not,’ the spokesperson added.

&#8220’The EC advises member states not to accept export permits for specimens of Swietenia macrophylla (Brazilian or big leaf mahogany) from Brazil until further notice without first obtaining from the Brazilian authorities a statement that those specimens were legally acquired.’”

European Commission

In a recent High Court case Greenpeace tried unsuccessfully to force the British government to seize Brazilian mahogany imports.

But the government argued successfully that recent shipments had the necessary export permits. A court appeal by Greenpeace will be heard on April 9.

Meanwhile, the US, the world’s largest importer of Brazilian mahogany, has detained imports of the wood worth millions of dollars at five ports while it verifies the legality of shipments. German authorities have seized mahogany imported by DLH while it seeks further information from Brazil.