New timber import regulations came into effect today (30 October) in Vietnam – which is currently implementing an agreement with the European Union to keep illicit timber out of its huge wood furniture industry
An article on Palm Oil Monitor last week made false allegations against the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), claiming we are being funded by UK AID to help further a fictitious European Union policy seeking to undermine Indonesian farmers by stopping them from exporting palm oil to the EU
Traders are paying to ship illicit Myanmar teak into Europe via the back door, skirting EU import rules to get their hands on the valuable timber for high-paying clients
The Government of Indonesia has backed away from a plan to drastically dilute timber regulations
A Dutch court has ruled that importers of teak from Myanmar must be able to trace the legality of the luxury timber all the way back to felling
The European Union is cracking down on shipments of illegal teak from Myanmar but needs to step up its game to be more effective