Setra EU visit focuses on plant protection and sustainability
31 May 2023Wood industry company Setra has hosted an EU delegation comprising the chief officers of plant health from the EU Member States.
“We are very pleased that we had the opportunity to host the EU visit and show the delegates around our sawmill and tell them how we work with traceability, legal requirements, certification and drying of the wood,” said Melanie Sjögren, sustainability manager at Setra.
No fewer than 26 of the EU’s 27 Member States were represented by their respective chief officers of plant health and other European Commission staff, with the delegation totalling around 60 people. During the visit to Setra Nyby, they were given presentations on how the modern wood industry works. Setra uses 100% of each log to make climate-friendly products, with many of these being exported to customers around the world.
“The plant protection officers were very interested in how we at Setra work with the traceability of wood, the drying process and sustainability at all stages,” said Ms Sjögren. “Many of the questions were about plant pests, how to prevent their spread, the effects of climate change on drying, and the importance and use of biomass in Sweden.”
The group was also given a tour of the sawmill and drying process at Setra Nyby.
“Many of the visitors had never been to a modern sawmill before and they enjoyed seeing how the whole process works,” said Jonas Lantz, mill manager at Setra Nyby. “It was good to be able to link together the entire value chain, from the forest through to the finished wood products.”
The day began in a logging area outside Uppsala where staff from SLU and Mellanskog ran various stations with information on sustainable forestry, forest planting and harvesting, and pest control.
The visit was organised by the Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure together with the Swedish Board of Agriculture, in co-operation with SLU, Mellanskog and Setra. This was one of a series of meetings under the Swedish Presidency and was aimed at the EU’s chief officers of plant health (COPHS). The purpose of the visit was, among other things, to discuss issues of a strategic nature with the aim of preventing the introduction and spread of plant pests covered by the Plant Protection Act.
