The Latvian State Forest Service (VMD) has fined a company €10,000 in relation to timber which may have been sourced from Russia.
The fine was imposed on the basis of the EU’s Timber Regulation and the failure of the company to properly conduct due diligence on timber that may have been Russian in origin which would render the timber as illegally sourced.
It is being reported that the VMD has taken the view that the importer needs to be able to positively exclude the possibility that the timber is of Russian, or Belarusian, origin.