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Successful launch of consultation
July 2007
On July 5, Defra hosted a successful launch of the consultation on the implementation of changes to the timber procurement policy, planned for 2009.
Held at Nobel House in London, representatives from a wide range of organisations filled the room, including Government Departments, Local Authorities, trade associations, certification bodies, timber traders and importers, construction companies, environmental NGOs, step-wise certification programmes and researchers.
Bob Andrew from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, and Ruth Nussbaum from ProForest (the CPET provider) gave presentations on the context of the policy change and key issues raised for consideration so far.
The ensuing discussion with the audience raised key points from a number of viewpoints, including concerns about the practicalities of the implementation, possible exclusion of small forest owners and transition schemes, thresholds of raw certified content and the complexity of having several certification schemes operating. The launch meeting proved that there are many concerns and challenges, but all stakeholders proved keen to reach solutions and to give suggestions.
The consultation period will close on September 27th, and stakeholders are encouraged to submit responses that include proposed solutions. Further details are available on the ‘Review & Comment’ section of the CPET website.
