With exactly one year to go before the introduction of arguably one of the most significant pieces of legislation to affect the timber trade, the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) has issued a warning to traders.

The TTF has urged all timber product traders and buyers to prepare now for the European Timber Regulation (EUTR) – which comes into effect in March 2013 – or face a possible criminal charge. A large countdown clock has been added to the homepage of the TTF’s website so members and visitors are in no doubt about the timeline they have.

With long lead times on certain products, The Federation has warned all companies to ensure they have systems in place to guarantee compliance.

“The EUTR is a great, positive step forward for the industry,” said TTJ chief executive John White.

“But, with one year to go there is still a lot of confusion and ignorance about the regulation and its implications.”

He urged companies to ensure they have a robust due diligence system in place to minimise the risk of products being procured from illegal sources.

Products purchased before March 2013 will be caught by the regulation if they are sold after that date.

The EUTR is part of EU efforts to crack down on illegal logging.