Finnish forestry industry products are threatened with the loss of a significant export market, if the British Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) follows through on a current proposal to reject Finland's PEFC environmental certification.
According to comments from forest industry representatives, the proposal, which would cover public sector purchases, could have a knock-on effect in the private sector and might lead to other European countries taking a similar line.
DEFRA intends to propose that the PEFC certificates used by Finnish exporters are replaced by others that it does recognise, such as FSC and the Canadian-based CSA.
The argument runs that Finnish certification does not provide adequate proof of sustainable forest management.
Finnish producers take a different view.
