The UK government has pledged £24m over the next five years to help developing countries combat illegal logging.

The news was announced on January 19 at an illegal logging stakeholder consultation meeting at Chatham House, the same day that 25 major timber industry companies, including Timbmet, from across Europe and Africa and the UK government signed up to an industry and ministerial agreement approving actions to improve transparency, production and the procurement of legal and sustainable timber.

Announcing the funding, international development minister Gareth Thomas said the government was committed to measures that would support better governance and law enforcement and influence demand for legally sourced products in countries such as Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana and Indonesia.

He added: “We will continue to encourage others in the EU to take necessary action by revising their timber procurement policies and help shape the market for timber products in Europe.”

Responding to Mr Thomas’ comments, Simon Fineman, chief executive officer at Timbmet Group, thanked those that had taken part in an industry and ministerial roundtable on the subject hosted by Timbmet before Christmas.

He went on: “The minister rightly highlights the agreement as an important step forward for industry and the UK government.”

He said the engagement between the UK government and more than 25 senior timber industry representatives from across Europe and Africa had been extremely important.

&#8220It is not insignificant that this engagement has been with the chief executives and managing directors themselves – rather than through the more traditional trade association networks”

Simon Fineman, Timbmet Group chief executive officer

He added: “It is not insignificant that this engagement has been with the chief executives and managing directors themselves – rather than through the more traditional trade association networks. There is a real dynamism to this group of progressive companies that are committed to sustainable forest management.”

But, he said, both producers and importers are operating in a market that fails to discriminate sufficiently between legal and illegal timber – let alone sustainable.

And he said unless there was a radical shift, producers from Europe and Africa would be unable to sustain the investment in their operations in Africa – and warned that if they pulled out, their place would be taken by operators less committed to sustainable forest management.

That, he said, was why the agreement was so important. “We see this as a vital step towards the introduction of measures to support and encourage further good practice, as well as introduce the necessary transparency into a sector that has been long overdue such clarity.”

Timber Trade Federation chief executive John White said he was delighted the money had been made available and that the TTF had been involved in the process leading to the government announcement. He said: “A lot of hard work liaising with and advising government has been put in over many years by The Federation and its members across the trade.”