Australian Timber Industry Advocates for Extra Scrutiny of Country-of-Origin Labeling on Imported Timber

On Wednesday, ABC News featured Australian timber industry advocates calling for extra scrutiny after a quarter of products tested in a verification trial were found to be “potentially misleading.”

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry acting director Madeleine Osborn said illegal logging was “one of the most profitable trans-border environmental crimes in the world,” with devastating impacts on climate, nature, and people. “Between 15% and 30% of all timber traded globally is potentially illegally logged, and 10% potentially in the Australian market that’s illegally sourced,” she said.

Under new laws, government officials can test some imported timber products to check species and country of origin. The products could eventually be used in floors and decks, furniture and furnishings, notepads, toilet paper, tissues, or prefabricated buildings.

A trial, which ended in June, tested more than 140 products and 39 distinct species. Osborn said it used a range of techniques including analysis of DNA, trace elements, wood anatomy, and fibers. “We chose [technologies] that have fairly robust reference databases,” Osborn said. “You have to have something to be able to match your results against, so building those reference databases is a real priority.”

Australian Forest Products Association chief executive Diana Hallam said illegal timber was a considerable challenge, but testing had previously been quite difficult. “We import timber products that are effectively 25 layers of timber compressed very tightly together, and testing has not been possible without some of the new technologies,” she said.

Hallam was surprised by the scale of the trial’s findings. “I didn’t think it would be as high as one in four,” she said. “That has increased our interest in speaking with the government about country-of-origin labelling laws for timber and timber products. We want a very strong compliance and enforcement regime, and we want country of origin labelling so that Australians can go into their local … hardware store, select some timber, and have confidence in where it has come from.”

Hallam added that it should be easier for customers to buy Australian-grown timber. “I was involved in reforming the country-of-origin labelling food laws, and I know consumers want that information,” she said. “I would like to see more support from the government into implementing a regime similar to that we have in food.”