TDUK has issued a trade alert urging vigilance to ensure no plywood offered by Asian manufacturers to UK importers contains birch originating in Russia.

TDUK note that UK sanctions introduced in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prohibit the import, acquisition, supply and delivery of revenue on all wood products coming from Russia. This spans across all wood categories but is particularly relevant to birch plywood as significant volumes were exported to the UK prior to the conflict.

The UK timber industry has responded to the RussiaUkraine conflict by significantly reducing imports across all the main Russian import categories. However, TDUK note that “a worrying development has emerged in recent weeks as TDUK members have reported increasing offers of birch plywood coming from Asia, particularly China”.

The birch in this plywood is, according to TDUK, almost certainly derived from Russia “given that birch forests are concentrated in Northern Russia” and that “China does not share the same view of the West regarding the Ukraine conflict. This means China has imposed no sanctions on Russia, with trade patterns continuing as they were prior to the conflict”.

TDUK also suggest that “the increasing isolation of the Russian economy has provided a business opportunity for many Chinese timber suppliers, with sanction-stricken products such as Russian birch now becoming widely available for import and processing”.

TDUK warn that “despite the birch plywood being processed in China, any timber originating from Russia is now illegal to import into the UK or the EU. Any [TDUK] member or non-member who imports birch plywood from outside of the EU runs a high risk of being in breach of UK sanctions”.

In response, TDUK are writing directly to manufacturers offering to supply birch plywood from China and other Asian countries making them aware of both UK and EU sanctions. Additionally, TDUK is asking member companies receiving offers of birch plywood to reply with information on the sanctions applying in the UK and EU.

TDUK note that should Russian wood be found in the UK/EU market “the importer and all customers who have purchased these products will be subject to legal action, fines and reputational damage which would also impact their trading partners in the manufacturing country”.