Afrormosia originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) now meets CITES Appendix II listing requirements so, with certain controls, can be traded int ernationally, according to The Timber Trade Federation (TTF).
In an alert to UK hardwood traders, the TTF said the Scientific Review Group (SRG) of the 27 EU member states gave a positive opinion about the import of the teak-like species from DRC at its meeting on November 30. This means that importers can now obtain CITES import permits for the product, though the trade is very small.
An EU import ban on the species from DRC had been maintained during the summer after the SRG had given a negative report of the trade.
Afrormosia originating from neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville still requires national CITES management authorities in EU member states to consult their respective scientific authorities for each import application and the scientific authority will decide on permits on a Case by case basis.
