Flagship Government offices were today (19th October) blockaded by Greenpeace in protest at the tonnes of illegal timber from the world's last rainforests that continues to flood into the UK.
The Government has known about the illegal trade for years, yet has failed to do anything to stop illegal timber entering the UK.
Shortly after 7.30am, Greenpeace volunteers dumped over a tonne of plywood secured with large chains over the entrance to Defra - the Government department responsible for the environment. Two activists chained themselves to the plywood to prevent it being removed, and climbers scaled the outside of the building and secured a banner reading 'BAN ILLEGAL TIMBER.'
Today's action follows a major Greenpeace investigation which has uncovered a criminal trail of illegally logged rainforest timber from the world's largest tropical island, which is 'laundered' through China before arriving on shop shelves in the UK. The companies logging this timber are not only linked to environmental destruction, but also to serious human rights abuses, including torture and rape.
Illegally logged timber from Papua New Guinea, home to animals and plants found nowhere else on the planet, has been traced back to UK ports, building sites and builders' merchants. It has been on a 14,000 mile journey via the processing mills of China, where it is transformed into plywood and then exported to markets around the world, including the UK.
This plywood is openly available in builders' merchants such as Wolseley, who own more than 200 Build Centers across the UK. It has also been found on building sites, such as at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies during renovation work.
The logging industry on Papua New Guinea is dominated by Malaysian logging giant Rimbunan Hijau, a company that has been directly linked not only to environmental destruction, but also to human rights abuses including torture and rape. Illegally logged timber from Rimbunan Hijau, and other companies, can be found as plywood at Wolseley Build Centers and other builders' merchants throughout the UK.
China is by far the largest importer of rainforest destruction in the world. For every ten tropical logs shipped from the world's threatened rainforests, five are destined for China.
Nathan Argent, a Greenpeace forests campaigner chained to the plywood, said: "The Government must ban this criminal trade immediately.
"The Government have known about this problem for years and they've done absolutely nothing about it. We were easily able to pick this illegal timber off the shelf of a builders' merchant, despite the fact that it's been illegally logged and bears the stench of human rights abuses.
"There are perfectly good alternatives to this timber. Buy timber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council - it's the best way to guarantee that timber has come from environmentally and socially responsible sources."
News Update
Police using bolt cutters removed the two Greenpeace volunteers who were chained to the tonne of illegal rainforest plywood at 11.30 this morning. The plywood is still blocking the entrance to the building. No arrests were made.
At noon Greenpeace forest campaigners had a meeting with environment minister Eliot Morley at the QE2 centre in Westminster. Eliot Morley said he was happy to go record calling for a ban on the import of illegally logged timber. Greenpeace called on him to take tough action at a European and domestic level.
Further information
Contact the Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255.
Download the latest Greenpeace report, Partners in Crime: The UK timber trade, Chinese sweatshops and Malaysian robber barons in Papua New Guinea's rainforests (PDF format).
