Further to our previous
announcements, the Illegal Logging Prohibition
Amendment Regulation 2013 is
law and its requirements came into effect on 30th November 2014.
From this date,
importers of certain timber or timber products (as defined in the Regulation)
need to assess and manage the risk that the timber has been illegally logged.
Importer obligations to carry out due diligence
Under the illegal logging laws, businesses importing regulated timber products
into Australia will have to carry out due diligence on these products before
import. These products include wooden articles and certain paper / paperboard
products.
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) has released further Information, fact sheets,
guidance and news on the progress of Country & State Specific Guidelines,
with the full effect of the regulations taking force this year.
Australian Government Compliance Actions
DAWR has been assessing how businesses are complying with the regulatory
requirements.
They have initially
assessed businesses that are importing large amounts of regulated timber,
paper or wooden furniture products and are now assessing businesses that have
volunteered for a compliance assessment as a "health check" of their
due diligence practices.
Importers may now
receive letters of Request
For Information from
DAWR, which will require evidence that Due Diligence has been done when
identifying the use or non-use of illegally logged timber.
Should you receive any
such request, or need to discuss further on your responsibilities, please
contact please contact us.
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