On Monday 7 March, TTF CEO David Hopkins, was asked to chair a meeting for members of the European Sawmilling Organisation (EOS) and CEI Bois, the main European organization for the timber and woodworking industries. In it there was unanimous support for the trade sanctions against Belarus and an expectation that these would soon be matched by equal measures against Russia.
As a corporate member of the IOC and long-time association partner, the IOC supports the TTF in this task and endorses the decision made by our European and British colleagues in timber supply.
Many members in Europe and the UK have already released statements that they are ceasing trade with Belarus and Russia; most recently, PEFC stated that they are reclassifying Russian and Belarussian products as “Conflict Timber” and thus ineligible for certification.
While direct imports into the UK are relatively small, Russia and Belarus account for about 10% of the softwood market in Europe. Removing this will make the available supply even tighter, causing potential shortages in some product areas.
A debate in the European industry meeting this week concerned support measures that the industry could ask for from the EU and national governments, including the UK, to alleviate the shortages expected. Mr Hopkins advised that this debate is ongoing.
Mr Hopkins said, “But, one thing is for sure: we cannot ask for support unless we are also prepared to make some small sacrifice ourselves. Ceasing trade during an illegal invasion seems a small price to pay compared to the horrors being experienced by the Ukrainian people”.
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If you are a member of the Timber Trade Federation, you can read the full policy note here, but note that this document is restricted to TTF members.