Montevideo, 16 April 2024. Uruguay's Directorate General of Forestry (DGF), part of the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP), has made a second shipment of deforestation-free timber, this time to the United States. The first shipment took place a few days ago, when the first shipment of deforestation-free wood chips to Portugal.

For both deliveries, the DGF has been supported by the Uruguayan Agency for International Cooperation (AUCI) and AL-INVEST Verde. Since 2023, AL-INVEST Verde, through IDAF (Centro de Investigaciones Aplicadas al Desarrollo Agroforestal), is working together with Uruguay on the implementation of a public system that will ensure the sustainable management of native forests in the country, in compliance with the European regulation on products free of deforestation and forest degradation (EUDR).

"The new regulations require full traceability of products. In collaboration with Forestal Caja Bancaria, we carried out a pilot experience which resulted in a shipment of sawn timber to the United States, complying with all the requirements of European regulations", explained the MGAP.

Although the shipment has been made to the United States, the operation is strategic as this timber could be used to manufacture products for shipment to Europe, an operation that would require documentation of its deforestation-free origin.

"The Forestry Directorate implemented a detailed geo-referencing and geo-localisation process of forestry establishments, ensuring that there would be no deforestation from 2020. After external evaluations and reviews, the MGAP issued the certificate, complying with the new EU regulations," the ministry said.

About AL-INVEST Verde

AL-INVEST Verde is a European Union (EU) programme whose main objective is to promote sustainable growth and job creation in Latin America by supporting the transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and more circular economy. Through Component 2, led by FIIAPP in consortium with IILA, the programme provides assistance for strengthening public policy and multi-stakeholder dialogues on sustainable agricultural and value chains, environmental and labour standards, as well as sustainable trade and economic policy and regulatory frameworks.