Brazil raids Amazon timber mills

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Brazilian police have mounted a major operation in the Amazon, seizing what they describe as one of the biggest ever loads of illegally logged timber.

Some 140 officers raided eight illegal sawmills in the state of Para, confiscating 10,000 cubic metres (353,000 cubic feet) of lumber.

The operation marks the start of new government efforts to tackle illegal logging and slow Amazon deforestation.

Figures last month showed the rate of clearances had unexpectedly soared.

"It's one of the biggest operations ever against sawmills," said Ivanette Motta from the government environmental protection agency, Ibama.

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Police began moving in on the sawmills in the town of Tailandia on Monday.

The town, which is home to dozens of sawmills, is in the south of Para state, one of the worst-hit areas by Amazon deforestation at the hands of loggers.

President Lula had earlier hailed a slowing of deforestation

Last month the Brazilian government announced new measures to stop the destruction of the rainforest.

These include deploying police and environmental agents in areas where illegal clearing jumped most dramatically last year.

Figures showed that the last five months of 2007, 3,235 sq km (1,250 sq miles) of rainforest were cleared.

The state of Mato Grosso was the worst affected, accounting for more than half the total area of forest stripped.

As well as Para, Rondonia state also saw big losses.

The report was an embarrassment for Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

He had said that government's efforts to control illegal logging and introduce better certification of land ownership had helped reduce forest clearance significantly.

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