The UK Timber Trade Federation (TTF) is backing new proposals to stop illegal timber coming into the EU.
The recommendations proposed by the European Commission, that now go forward for consideration by the European parliament, are that importing companies have to prove that they have exercised due diligence to ensure they are not handling illegally felled material.
TTF chief executive John White accepted that the EU was not ready to go down the US Lacey Act route, which criminalises the importation of illegal timber.
“We are backing the due diligence route as the alternative is nothing,” Mr White said.
The TTF, he added, had been calling for some form of EU measure to block illegal timber for some time.
“The presence of any illegal timber in the market sends out the wrong market signals to the consumer about the industry and also creates unfair competition for legally sourced timber,” he said.
In its Responsible Purchasing Policy (RPP), the TTF already has an anti-illegal timber due diligence system in place.
“Effectively, being a member of the TTF ensures you are already in compliance with the proposed new EU measures,” said Mr White.
