Government Announces Plan to Clamp Down on Illegal Deforestation

Ministers have announced that a new law will be introduced to clean up the UK’s supply chains in order to protect rainforests and curb illegal deforestation.

The proposed legislation will prevent large businesses in the UK from utilising products produced on illegally deforested land.

Businesses will also be fined if they do not publish information on their supply chains, including the origins of commodities used and evidence that they were sourced in line with local laws to protect forests. This includes key commodities such as palm oil, rubber, and soil.

The size of the fines are to be set by the government at a later date.

Around 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by deforestation. The government proposals state that the UK market is no place for illegally sourced commodities, however Greenpeace have called the plans 'seriously flawed’.

Greenpeace’s forests campaigner, Elena Polisano, said: “Defra’s proposal to make it ‘illegal for larger businesses to use products unless they comply with local laws to protect natural areas’ is seriously flawed. We’ve all seen the way president [Jair] Bolsonaro has championed the expansion of agriculture in Brazil at the expense of the Amazon rainforest.

“There is also nothing to address the fact that some commodity producers may have one ‘sustainable’ line but continue to destroy forests elsewhere, which just shifts the problem into someone else’s backyard.

“We will never solve this problem without tackling demand. Companies like Tesco, who sell more meat and dairy and so use more soya for animal feed than any other UK retailer, know what they need to do to reduce the impact they are having on deforestation in the Amazon and other crucial forests.

“They must reduce the amount of meat and dairy they sell and drop forest destroyers from their supply chain immediately.”

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said that there will be a six week consultation on the proposed legislation, where the views of UK and international stakeholders will be considered, as well as how the legislation may affect businesses and other interests.

WWF-UK’s executive director of science and conservation, Mike Barrett, said: “It’s clear businesses and consumers don’t want imports that wreck the planet, drive deforestation in areas like the Amazon and lead to devastating fires. The government must now fast-track strong, effective laws that clean up our supply chains and show the UK can take the lead in tackling the global nature and climate crisis.”