§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she is taking to publicise the opinion of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Secretariat contained in a memorandum dated 13 March, regarding the import of mahogany from Brazil; and if she will make a statement. [50498]
§ Margaret Beckett[holding answer 16 April 2002]: We are aware of advice sent by the CITES Secretariat to the German management Authority on 13 March. This formed the basis of a subsequent note from the European Commission to all member states on 26 March. We have passed this on to the Timber Trade Federation and to other Government Departments with an interest in this issue. I attach a copy.
We are not aware of any shipments of mahogany from Brazil to the UK since the Commission's letter was issued. Consideration of any future shipment will take account of this or any subsequent view taken by the Commission and submitted to all Member States.
§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information she has received concerning action taken by Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands in relation to trade in Brazilian mahogany since 19 October 2001; and if she will make a statement. [50456]
§ Margaret BeckettWe understand from the German CITES Management Authority that, since the moratorium, three cargoes of Brazilian mahogany have been cleared by German customs and one has been detained at Hamburg. We understand from the Dutch CITES Management Authority that one cargo has been detained at Vlissingen. To date we have received no relevant information from the Belgian authorities.
§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if big leaf mahogany (swietenia macrophylla) is classified as an endangered species; and what measures she is taking to ensure that illegally logged mahogany is not used in the United Kingdom. [50459]
§ Margaret BeckettBig leaf mahogany (Swietenia Macrophylla) is listed on Appendix III by certain range states. This means that it is not classified by CITES as endangered but is subject to regulation.
Our main line of defence against the use of illegally logged big leaf mahogany is the CITES and European Union controls on the import of such mahogany. All imports into the Community for the first time must be accompanied by appropriate CITES documentation. Mahogany requires a valid export permit or certificate of origin and a completed import notification. Failure to present such documentation could render any cargo liable to seizure, and illegal trading in CITES listed timber is subject to strict penalties. We are also exploring with our EU partners whether there are changes in EU regulations which would secure better regulation of this trade; and we have made clear to the Brazilians our concern to support their efforts to prevent illegal logging. The Government's Green Guide for Buyers, first issued in 1998 and updated 894W last year, gives detailed guidance on implementing the Government's policy to purchase its timber and timber products from legal and sustainable sources.
§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she was notified of the Brazilian Environment Agency's ban on trade in swietenia macrophylla. [50460]
§ Margaret BeckettMy Department was made aware of the moratorium on 29 October 2001.
§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many reports of swietenia macrophylla there have been since 19 October 2001; and what the volume of imports was on each occasion since that date. [50461]
§ Margaret BeckettWe are aware of three cargoes of Brazilian mahogany which entered the European Community via the UK. These are as follows:
Date of import Metres3 26 January 2002 11.328 8 February 2002 874.7 5 March 2002 198.18 Total 1,084.208 There may be other shipments of mahogany which have entered the UK having been previously cleared into the Community via another member state. Neither my Department nor HM Customs and Excise would be aware of these as no clearance documentation would be required for such intra-Community movement.