In October 2024, the Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said new Plant Health Requirements were being planned for imports of Cedarwood (Thuja spp.), including Western Red Cedar imported from Canada.
The legislation was proposed for implementation at the end of January 2025. It requires Cedarwood to be heat treated to 56°C for 30 minutes (core temperature) and accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate. Untreated, bark-free or simple kiln-dried cedar wood will no longer be accepted.
However, following further risk assessment and lobbying from TDUK and Canada Wood, the UK government has revised its intentions.
Great Britain’s Plant Health Services said it has decided to exclude all Thuja spp. from the Heterobasidion irregular measures on wood, which are due to come into force on 30 January 2025 in its Winter Pest Measures. The import of wood of Thuja spp. will, therefore, continue with the existing requirements, leaving the trade unaffected.
Nick Boulton, head of technical and trade policy at TDUK, said: “Without the intervention of TDUK and our partners at Canada Wood, Cedar imports to the UK would have become more difficult and more expensive. This is a great example of how TDUK works and lobbies on our members’ behalf.”