jackpease

I don't think the Ltd company thing will wash - there's zillions of regs that are couched like this and the law would apply to person (individual) or person (ltd company director) whatever. The point is that it wouldn't be a single one off penalty - if you keep selling you keep offending so there'd be repeat offences. As Woodsure has convinced its Tory mates in government to award itself a cosy cartel, just as it's blitz-calling non-registered wood suppliers, so it will repeatedly report you to trading standards for repeatedly breaching regs. In the end Woodsure will remind trading standards that it has a duty to enforce the law and gleefully provide the evidence that sellers are breaching it. In China they have a rate card for dobbing covid-breachers in it which ensures it is enforced in practice. What Woodsure has secured itself is much the same ie the more people it dobs in it the more money it gets by charging £500 to ensure your wood is dry. I don't think there are smart ways to get round this any more than smart ways to avoid speeding tickets etc.

No - took the view that the cost (£500 a year) and the requirements (not entirely set but included snap inspections of my clamps) made it clear that the direct yearly cost and effectively the need to dry wood indoors or even kiln dry made it uneconomic. Yep trading standards have been hollowed out by austerity and covid but with Woodsure clearly keen to get their money, you can be sure that Woodsure will be doing the ferreting out of those not paying their £500 and dobbing them in it to trading standards - it's an offence so sanctions are non-trivial

Well the Woodsure Stazi shut me down with their incessant nagging. I think they pretended to be buyers too even after they closed me down - and i'd launch into this tirade about Boris being elected to cut red tape then they introduce this 'certification' to prove my wood is dry. It is (was) the driest in the district. They want about £500 a year to 'certify' my wood and I stored it in clamps under plastic for 2yrs min and checked it with moisture meters. Not good enough. I'd have had to do x y z maybe even kiln drying after a week of moist air - for a modest doorstep seller this is not possible. I now bonfire loads of huge trees as if they can't be sold for money, it is not worth transporting them out of the field. Where's the sense in that - apart from an entire bunch of jobs for Woodsure people - bonfire of red tape my ass this is red tape that just favours importing of shrink wrapped kiln dried crap from eastern europe on diesel powered juggernaults. Not environmentally friendly.

I think technically within regs. But I spoke to our environmental health - they struggle to enforce noise/smoke/trading standards as it is so they are highly unlikely to enforce the general rules let alone arguable ones like kindling. I'm sure the attack dogs at Woodsure would dob you in in though with the scent of £500 to get you to prove they are dry and not palletwood.

as i understand these are Statutory Instruments enabling something that has already been 'debated' so while they are technically 'debated' actually its a rubber stamping exercise enabling what has already been 'agreed' in Primary Legislation (an Act).

six months on I am being bombarded with spam texts from Woodsure wanting me to pay £500+ for accreditation even tho i only sell a few hundred net bags at from my gate a year. They have put me out of business so it is very galling to keep getting their texts and emails asking me to stump up with no means of unsubscribing. Is this even legal? I'm now bonfiring my wood and as they are not prepared to put in writing a promise to keep small suppliers' costs down I assume this is just a ploy to shut us up.

Safe for one extra year only. After that no. But i think this idea is perfect! >"Not fit to burn, only use as garden ornaments"

>small supplier I think that's what's odd there don't seem to be any definitions flying around, it's almost as if it is being handed to the trade associations to sort out, and guess what, they'll organise it to price out small suppliers with a huge audit fee. The one year derogation for small suppliers arguable does not make it your worthwhile getting invested

I realise there's a derogation for micro suppliers for a year or two, but during the consultation there was talk of small suppliers having to get audited - like QA/QC in order to be able to use the 'ready to burn' logo So has this been dropped? Is one allowed to sell wood without 'Ready to burn' certification - provided it is demonstrable <20%? It's fine if nobody knows - but certainly early on it wasn't just <20%, not just read to burn, it required (presumably expensive) Ready to Burn audit which of course will keep the trade associations happy as the Big Boys can put the little people out of business jack

Has it been decided how small quantities (eg nets) can be sold by small suppliers? Is it enough to be able to prove that the firewood for sale is <20% moisture content - or does one have to prove it via (say) yearly audits from industry assessors (likely several hundred quid)?? thanks, Jack