The EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) comes into force March 2013. Failure to act NOW could see traders facing a criminal charge. Below you will find five key things you need to know and how the TTF can help you*
• The EU Timber Regulation comes into force in the UK on 3rd March 2013. It bans illegal timber in the EU and requires anyone handling wood or wood products to assess the risk that those products may have come from an illegal source and acts to mitigate that risk. This is known as due diligence and, like all due diligence, it must happen before you buy the product. It has to be undertaken even if the product is certified.
• The law states that you must keep a record of the supplier, the product species, where it comes from, and the amount bought. You must also record your risk assessment on the product.
• In determining the level of risk you must use credible information about the country of origin, the supplier, the product and any other sources of information. You should not place an order for a product until you have been through this process and taken any necessary measures to minimise your risk from the product. You should also record what action you are taking to reduce your risk going forward.
• If you are buying product that is already in the EU and on which due diligence has taken place you need to keep records from whom you bought the product from and to whom you sold it.
• We also recommend an independent auditor assesses what you have done and how you have done it.
The TTF has developed a business tool that enables companies to comply with the legislation. It is called the RPP or Responsible Purchasing Policy. It is compulsory for TTF members to use the RPP or an equivalent system in their businesses. The TTF provides this due-diligence tool free as a benefit of membership.
For more information on the RPP please click HERE
It is important to note that even timber products purchased before the 3rd March 2013 deadline will be caught by the legislation if they are delivered after that date. This means that you should be conducting risk assessment NOW given lead times for some products.
Please contact Anand Punja, Sustainability Manager at TTF on apunja@ttf.co.uk or 0207 291 5373 with any queries about the RPP.
To read the full text of the EUTR please download this PDF document from the bottom of this page. The TTF have also produced a a useful FAQ page on the EUTR.
*These notes are intended for guidance only and should not be relied upon as a definitive interpretation of the law.
Related Documents
Defra Briefing Document on EUTR (DEFRA EU Timber Reg briefing note.pdf)
EU Timber Regulation (Final EUTR.pdf)
Final version of the EU Timber Regulation October 2010.
EUTR Delegated Act for MO Status (AP C- Delegated act regarding MO.pdf)
EUTR EC Guidance (EUTR EC guidance_document.pdf)
EUTR Statutory Instrument Draft (Consultation draft SI - December 2012 _2_.pdf)
EUTR- Implementing regulation (EUTR Implemeting Regulation 607-2012.pdf)
TTF Response to EUTR UK Consultation on Enforcement (Consultation document EUTR final- TTF draft.doc)
Source: Timber Trade Federation
Views: 29
Replies
Would I be right in thinking that any business/professional such as landscapers and other such trades would have to keep these records too or is it just for suppliers? Some of the wording seems to suggest just suppliers but others seem to be saying everyone.
Just emailed my timber supplier to find out what his view is on this, will report back as soon as i hear.
Only bureaucrats could come up with BS on this level. Can't they employ people to rewrite twaddle like this in plain English (or whatever European language). I'll pass I don't need no more rules n regs bollocks I've got a business to run and if I paid attention to stuff like this I would not have a business. All these idiots do is create more legal/paper twaddle to wade through.
Easy rule of thumb if dodgy kit is sold to you by a legitimate supplier it's their problem not yours. If you are knowing buying dodgy kit then take the consequences.
Let's face it how many people can identify more than five or so wood species once it's in a prepared state? I burn wood for heating so deal with quite a few varieties but can easily misidentify certain wood types.
bloody hell fire ,this is the first I have heard about this,some how i dont think I will join in
More’s the point, who is going to go round and check to see if the fencing or decking timbers you used on that last job , is made for illegal timber, which you purchased at your local supplier, who supplied you with an invoice, ?
no one Simon, it looks like a pile of crap made up by fools who need too make sure they have a job too do.
Most of thease regs never get seen agian,unless your working on a large public project
This must have been put together with the "Yes Minister" team in association with "The thick of it"
Here you have it in a nut shell another very good reason why we should leave the EU! Quite simply it should be the supplier who has to prove where this timber comes from, not the poor bloody chap/chapess who is putting up the fence!
The EU a place we are IN, but somehow it is someone else implementing rules.
The civil servants in the EU & the policy created by the EU is likely to be as much own fault as anyone else's. Because we are a part of the EU, i.e we have MEP's, i.e. policymakers just like everyone else.
The EU is seen to interfere with us, always in a bad way of course and anything our own government, civil servants (HMRC, etc) come up with will be so much better (naturally).