The TTF has written to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), which supplied the quota import statistics, to raise questions about volumes declared from China and Malaysia.
Coniferous Plywood Quota allocations from China totalled 19,080m3 this year (2012: 12,299m3), while Malaysia re-appeared on the quota (1,081m3) after a 2012 which saw no product from the country declared.
The TTF reiterated that traders should only declare products under the quota if they are fully coniferous throughout plywood. It said Chinese product featuring poplar did not qualify under the quota.
The TTF said the reasons for the declarations possibly included trader ignorance about poplar, mistakes in quota declarations or traders deliberately misdeclaring product.
With less red-faced hardwoods being used as veneers, the TTF said it was possible some traders were making assumptions that the paler poplar face veneers were softwood.
Meanwhile, 342m2 was declared from Chile, showing that some traders were apparently ignorant of the free trade agreement between the UK and Chile.
The largest quota volume came from Brazil at 132,523m3 (2012: 141,911m3), while Canadian volumes were relatively unchanged at 1,039m3. Russia saw its volumes declared increase to 774m3 from 574m3 a year ago.
