The government has told us it recognises “the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation.”
Ministers at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) wrote to the NGO Forest Coalition responding to our letter demanding the prompt introduction of due diligence regulations, saying, “We recognise the need to provide businesses with greater certainty and to ensure that UK supply chains are not linked to illegal deforestation.”
These are welcome words indeed, not only because they promise action on deforestation, but also because they signal an intention to bring certainty on deforestation regulations for businesses. Businesses need certainty in order to plan and invest – and many UK companies and financial institutions have called for action on ending global deforestation.
We asked for a timeline for legislation, and were assured that legislation will come in 2027 – as announced by the government in June.
The June announcement said that EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) will apply in Northern Ireland; in Great Britain there will be a consultation on plans for an approach that works alongside the EUDR, including under the Environment Act 2021 and the UK Timber Regulation 2013; and the intention is to move towards a deforestation-free standard.
DEFRA ministers also assured us that the government is clear that nature loss, including the destruction of forests and other ecosystems, presents significant risks to prosperity and long-term environmental security.
The Environment Act 2021 needs to be implemented fast. UK consumers are unwittingly buying and eating food grown on illegally deforested land. Polls show that 76% of people want the government to take action to end global deforestation.
The NGO Forest Coalition campaigns to end the financing of deforestation. More money goes into the destruction of nature than goes into its protection – in fact for every dollar invested in nature positive activities, thirty dollars go into activities harmful to nature. The DEFRA ministers confirmed that HM Treasury will begin a review of the financial services regulatory framework on deforestation-linked finance once the forest risk commodity regulations are made.
In response to our call for new legislation in the form of a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act (BHREA), the government stated its commitment to rooting out human rights, labour and environmental abuses
from global supply chains. The government’s position on responsible business conduct will be set out in due course, the letter added.
We thank the ministers for their letter, and look forward to being able to congratulate them on strong, rights-based legislation.
NGO Forest Coalition 