An assurance by the government that it is not promoting the Forest Stewardship Council to the exclusion of other certification schemes has been welcomed by the Timber Trade Federation.
The government’s new Inter-Departmental Working Group on Timber Procurement has been set up to help shape government timber buying policy (TTJ August 12/19). On its launch, environment minister Michael Meacher said the aim was to encourage all government departments to move towards purchasing timber from sustainable sources, including those certified under such schemes as the FSC.
This led to some fears that the FSC would be the preferred certification body.
In response to a letter from TTF director-general Paul Martin, Mr Meacher instructed his principal procurement advi-ser Bob Andrew to clarify the position.
Mr Andrew said his work with the inter-departmental working group had brought him into contact with the timber trade and NGOs.
‘I have endeavoured to make clear in my dealings with all concerned that government buyers, when seeking assurance of compliance with specific timber requirements, are bound to afford equal opportunity,’ he explained.
‘They must consider the evidence provided and make decisions on a case by case basis. Certification schemes other than the FSC’s may be deemed sufficient and, in some cases, no scheme at all may be acceptable if operational reasons dictate.’
