PARLIAMENT PROBE

The government’s role in promoting the use of timber from sustainable sources is to be investigated by Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee.

The inquiry has been prompted by recent claims by environmentalists that illegally harvested wood from rainforests has been used in the refurbishment of the cabinet office and a Friends of the Earth report which stated that the UK was the largest volume importer of illegally logged timber.

The probe will focus on government timber procurement, its sustainable timber initiative and guidance on procurement for local authorities.

The Timber Trade Federation is making a written submission to the inquiry and hopes to be asked to attend its hearings.

Mark O’Brien, TTF head of public affairs, said: “We want to put the record straight. We are tired of people like Greenpeace who have their entire campaign based on a misconception that the primary cause of deforestation is the timber trade. The primary causes are economic - the clearing of timber for farmland and fuel.”

The TTF claims that only 0.29% of all imported timber and timber products come from Africa, the area currently causing environmentalists most concern.

The committee’s final report is expected by the end of July.