European Timber Regulation now in force

Mar 04, 2013. /Lesprom Network/. The European Timber Regulation (EUTR) came into effect Sunday March 3rd and covers the whole of the EU, including the UK. For the first time ever, it will be a criminal offence to place timber and timber products onto the European market that are derived from illegally harvested logs. Companies caught doing so can face stock seizures, fines and criminal prosecution, as The Timber Trade Federation (TTF) said in a press release received by Lesprom Network. John White, Chief Executive of the Timber Trade Federation, said: “On behalf of the entire timber industry, I would like to say how pleased we are that this law has come into effect. It is a great step forward in the fight against illegal logging and will help reinforce the actions and measures the industry has already been taking.” To minimise the risk of products from illegally harvested sources entering the supply chain, the EUTR requires all companies placing timber products onto the European market to have a comprehensive and robust due diligence system in place. Through this system, first placers of timber or timber products must now, by law, collect information about the products and supply chains that they come through, assess the risk of illegally harvested timber being present and take appropriate mitigating actions if any risks are identified. Members of the Timber Trade Federation have been required to implement these levels of due diligence since 2010 as a compulsory condition of membership. The TTF provides all members with a free due diligence framework as well as a toolkit to help members assess and mitigate identified risks– the Responsible Purchasing Policy (RPP). Companies failing to provide satisfactory evidence of having robust due diligence in place will be expelled from membership. “We introduced compulsory due diligence some years ago as part of our code of conduct,” added John White. “We provide the tools and framework for free to help our SME members overcome any costs of compliance, but we also insist on full implementation. It’s been a tough journey but our members have reacted well and we now have 100% compliance. It shows the hard line we have taken to provide leadership in this area and help prepare for the introduction of new regulations. I am confident that our members are well prepared for this start date and have nothing to fear from the EUTR. As an industry we can only benefit. We are pleased to have a proper law to back up our industry action."