EAST Lancashire Euro MP Chris Davies has called for action to stop the import of illegal wood.
The Liberal Democrat MEP says East Lancashire residents are putting profits into the hands of criminals because there is no guarantee that the wood they buy comes from sustainable sources.
He says corruption and poorly enforced laws in developing nations are allowing the destruction of virgin forests which house thousands of rare species.
Customs officials currently have no power to curb the trade even when they have evidence that the law has been broken in the country the wood came from.
Mr Davies wants a traffic light coding to be introduced at the point of sale. A green label would indicate wood from a sustainable source and a red label would indicate cases where this could not be proven beyond doubt.
He says the next step must be an outright ban on the import of wood from criminals.
He added: "In Indonesia alone every year an area of rainforest the size of Wales is destroyed and this is despite national laws intended to protect the environment."
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