A Tale of Two Laws

The US Lacey Act prohibits trade in wildlife, fish and plants illegally taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of any foreign law that protects plants.

The European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) prohibits the placing of illegally harvested timber on the European market and puts an obligation on anyone first placing timber products on the EU market to conduct Due Diligence on their supply chain.

In this briefing, we explore the previously unrealised fact that both laws can work together, with the Lacey Act prohibiting timber sold in violation of the EUTR, as a ’foreign law‘.