The Czech Republic has experienced a rapid growth in Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) chain of custody certification.
PEFC Czech Republic said chain of custody, launched early last year, experienced a strong take-up in the last part of 2003 and in January 2004, with now almost all significant wood processors in the country certified.
A total of 42 certificates were issued during the first 11 months but this doubled in December, January and February. There are now 76 individual and group chain of custody certificates, covering 113 firms – 48 logging companies; 29 traders; 34 wood processors; and two in the paper sector.
PEFC Czech Republic also reports growth in the number of small forest owners applying for forest certification. It says more than 1.9 million hectares of forest is certified in the country, of which 82.6% is state-owned, 9.9% communal property and 5.2% private.
Meanwhile, PEFC Deutschland has responded to pleas by a German minister for a new consumer label which says “Free of genetic engineering”, in light of the country’s plans to implement European guidelines on the release of genetically modified organisms.
It says the PEFC certificate already guarantees safety for German forests regarding genetically modified organisms.
