U.S. requests Peru to verify timber shipment’s compliance

The United States on Friday asked the Peruvian government for the first time under PTPA to verify that a 2015 timber shipment complied with the South American country’s forestry laws.    The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Friday asked the Peruvian government to verify that a 2015 timber shipment exported to the United States complied with the South American country’s forestry laws.
   This is considered the first verification request under since the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) entered force in 2009. The verification ensures that Peruvian forestry laws are being applied correctly and that U.S. importers are buying legally harvested and exported timber.
   In January 2013, the U.S. and Peruvian governments agreed to bilateral action to crack down on illicit timber harvesting. The countries agreed to  improve systems to track and verify the chain of custody of timber exports and ensure timely criminal and administrative proceedings for forestry-related crimes and infractions.
   The United States has provided nearly $75 million in technical assistance and capacity building to Peru for protecting its forests since the PTPA entered into force, including development of an electronic timber tracking system that will trace every log from stump to port to better detect and address illegal logging. 
   “While there has been significant progress in addressing illegal logging, including recent public reports of seizures of illegal timber, challenges remain,” USTR said.