New Regulation to Control Timber Imports to be Introduced in UK

Release date: 14 June 2010                                                                                                     Unrestricted

A major new regulation designed to control the entry of legally licensed timber products will be introduced in the UK in 2011.

The Forest Law Enforcement, Governance & Trade (FLEGT) regulation will apply to timber imports to the EU from countries that have signed FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs). 

These bilateral agreements will ensure that timber products from partner countries are only allowed on to EU markets if they are accompanied by a valid licence proving they have been harvested from verified legal sources.

In the UK, Animal Health - the executive agency of Defra, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government - has been given the task of managing FLEGT licensing.

Animal Health was chosen for the role because it already manages licences for the import and export of plant and animal species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

For FLEGT Animal Health will:

• Verify the validity of all licences accompanying imports of timber and timber products from VPA countries;
• Work with the UK Border Agency (UKBA) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to provide clearance for imported timber; and
• Co-ordinate enforcement action and inspections where necessary.

Timber importers will be provided with more information about the FLEGT licensing scheme in the months leading up to its introduction. In the interim, information can also be accessed via the Animal Health website, www.defra.co.uk/animal health, and the Defra website, www.defra.co.uk

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Notes for editors:

• Animal Health is an executive agency of Defra. It works throughout Great Britain on behalf of Defra, the Welsh Government, the Scottish Government and the Food Standards Agency. The agency primarily seeks to minimise the risk and impact of notifiable animal diseases for the protection of the economy and public health. Animal Health also provides the UK Management Authority function for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), licensing import and export of CITES listed species animals and plants. In addition, it implements registration provisions of domestic legislation relating to birds of prey, and has been designated the Competent Authority for FLEGT licensing in the UK. Animal Health has a team of Wildlife Inspectors who work across the UK undertaking compliance inspections and supporting law enforcement agencies in activity associated with all aspects of wildlife crime.

• Ghana is the first tropical timber producing nation to have signed a VPA. Several other major producers of timber and timber products are also expected to sign up, including the Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The first shipments of FLEGT licensed goods are expected to arrive at UK and EU borders in early to mid 2011.

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