ILLEGAL TIMBER IMPORTS DIFFICULT TO IDENTIFY, SAYS CANBERRA

By Neville D'Cruz

MELBOURNE, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- The Australian government says it is unable
to keep an election promose to ban illegal timber imports because there was no
way of telling if imported timber is legal or illegal.

"Unfortunately, illegally-logged timber doesn't come with an identification
sticker," Australia's Forestry Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.

Illegally-logged Southeast Asian hardwood timber, known as kwila, often
looked the same as a legally-logged product.

"Without that knowledge, the only option would be a blanket ban on all
imports including the 91 percent of timber imports believed to be logged
legally," Burke said.

"Clearly, this is not an option."

Greenpeace and the Worldwide Fund for Nature, and timber industry groups
A3P, Timber Queensland and the Furnishing Industry Association of Australia are
critical of Burke for not delivering a policy paper on banning illegal timber.

The minister said a discussion paper would be released soon.

In 2007, Australian Labor Party made an election promise in Tasmania to
encourage sustainable forest practices and seek a ban on the sale of
illegally-logged timber.

Timber Queensland chief executive Rod McInnes said the absence of a ban on
illegal timber products was bad for the local industry.

Australia had negotiated agreements with Indonesia and Papua New Guinea to
help authorities identify legally-logged timber, Burke said.

More discussions are being held with Malaysia and China.
-- BERNAMA