The Timber Trade Action Plan for Good Governance in Tropical Forestry project has gone live.

The Tropical Forest Trust (TFT) has signed a contract with the European Commission with the aim of eradicating illegal tropical timber from the supply chains of its partner members.

An EC €3.5m grant will be matched by the project partners – the UK and Dutch Timber Trades Federations, associate federations in Belgium and France and partners in Malaysia and Indonesia.

The five-year project will focus on supply chains originating in Gabon, Cameroon, Indonesia and Malaysia.

&#8220The EC, governments, shareholders and most importantly people in the street want illegal wood out of the European market. With the support of this generous grant from the EC, our partners are well placed to do just that”

TFT executive director Scott Poynton

TFT executive director Scott Poynton said it was fantastic to launch such an exciting initiative. “The EC, governments, shareholders and most importantly people in the street want illegal wood out of the European market. With the support of this generous grant from the EC, our partners are well placed to do just that.”

And Andy Roby, the UK Timber Trade Federation‘s corporate social responsibility adviser, said the grant, alongside the matched funding arrangements, offers a substantial budget to fund capacity building with suppliers to help them deliver more verified legal timber from tropical sources.

Full implementation of the project began on March 1. It is being managed by Donna Day Lafferty and further information about the project and planned activities can be obtained from her at lafferty@tropicalforesttrust.com.