Written answers

Wednesday, 10 February 2010

Department of Agriculture and Food

Timber Products

10:00 pm

Photo of Michael D HigginsMichael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 275: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food his views on the role and progress made towards the outlawing of the illegal trade in tropical wood here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7136/10]

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Trade in certain tropical timber products is regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora – (CITES for short). In Ireland the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government issue CITES permits - the authorisation to import such timber. For all other timber and timber products there is no statutory obligation on procurers of such products to ensure that they are legally sourced.

The EU Action Plan for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) proposed a package of measures to support international efforts to tackle the problem of illegal logging and associated trade. The EU is currently negotiating Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPA) with timber producing countries, which put a legally binding obligation on the parties to implement a licensing scheme and to regulate trade in timber and timber products. The VPA with the Republic of Ghana has now been completed and approved and is expected to be operational by the end of this year. A further VPA with the Republic of the Congo has been completed and awaits Council approval. The FLEGT licensing scheme is expected to be fully operational in Congo by mid-2011. A number of other VPAs are now close to completion with progress being made in negotiations with other third countries. My Department is currently making preparations for the implementation and enforcement of VPA agreements under FLEGT Regulations (EC) No 2173/2005 and implementing Regulation (EC) No 1024/2008.

In tandem with the FLEGT negotiations, the European Commission introduced a proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market. The main objective of the Regulation is to complement and underpin the EU's current policy framework and support the international fight against illegal logging and its related trade. It aims to ensure that only timber products that have been produced in accordance with the national legislation of the producing country enter the Community. The Regulation will place an onus on operators who place timber and timber products on the EU market for the first time to minimise the risk, through the use of due diligence systems, of such timber products coming from illegal sources. Negotiations on the final text of this draft Regulation are at an advanced stage of negotiation between the Council and Parliament.

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