Technical Panel

The UK Government, under the timber procurement policy, is committed to a biennial review of its assessment of Category A evidence (certification schemes). In the past, the Central Point of Expertise in Timber Procurement (CPET) has conducted the assessments of the certification schemes against the Government criteria for legal and sustainable timber making recommendations to Defra who then make the final decision. However, in recognition of both the technical difficulty and the wider implications of the review, since the findings are likely to have an influence well beyond government, Defra in consultation with the Reference Board decided to establish a Technical Panel made up of recognised forestry experts, to conduct the final scoring on the Category A 2008 assessments. In the future it may also be necessary to seek advice from the Technical Panel on Category B evidence put forward by suppliers to demonstrate compliance with the government policy.