A Bill to make it an offence for any importer or distributor to sell or distribute in the United Kingdom any wood harvested, manufactured or otherwise dealt with illegally in the country from which the wood originated or through which it passed or was transhipped; and for connected purposes
The Bill would make it illegal to sell, knowingly or not, timber that had been:obtained illegally in any way in the country of origin exported illegally from its country of originimported illegally into any country. It also would make it an offence to falsify records with regard to the harvesting, importing or exporting of timber. The maximum penalties included in the Bill are up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to £50,000.
House of Commons
Barry GardinerLabour (Co-op)
30 October 2008
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
The Bill would make it illegal to sell or distribute timber in the UK if it was obtained illegally at any point in its supply chain. It would also criminalise falsifying records about harvesting, importing or exporting timber, with penalties of up to five years' imprisonment and a fine of up to £50,000.
The bill is currently at the second reading stage in the House of Commons. It originated in the Commons, with the first reading in 2008, and has not yet progressed to further stages in this session.
Generated 21 February 2026
2 Apr 2008
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
