U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is calling on the government of Peru to verify that three shipments of timber made to the U.S. last year were compliant with Peruvian logging laws and regulations.
The timber verification, a provision of the United States—Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA), is to test the country’s progress in combatting illegal logging.
“We are committed to using all available tools to ensure illegal timber from Peru is not entering the United States at the expense of American timber producers and workers,” Lighthizer said in a statement.
Last October, Lighthizer announced that U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection would block imports from Peruvian timber exporter Inversiones Oroza for three years after it was found to be importing illegally harvested wood. Inversiones’s nefarious timber shipments came to light after the U.S. issued a call for timber verification from the government of Peru.
Peru has gained notoriety in recent years for illegal logging; the Environmental Investigation Agency reported last year that as much as 90 percent of the country’s timber exports were illegal.
