UK: Act now to protect the world’s forests

TAKE PART IN THE CONSULTATION

Tell the government your views on deforestation in UK supply chains - you can personalise the message with your reasons for supporting the campaign:

Environmental

DEFRA Consultation

DEFRA

Dear Sustainable Commodities Team,

I am emailing in relation to the UK government’s consultation on the provisions in the Environment Act to help tackle deforestation in UK supply chains.

Keeping climate-critical forests standing is vital to avoid climate breakdown, to uphold the rights of the communities who live in them, and to safeguard the biodiversity of our beautiful world.

As President of the international COP26 climate summit, the UK government should lead by example. According to a Global Witness analysis, the phased approaches currently proposed by the government would not even halve our projected deforestation footprint between now and 2030. We must do better than this.

My view is that:

- The new law must cover every major commodity associated with deforestation: this includes cattle (beef and leather), palm oil, soy, maize, coffee, cocoa, pulp and paper, nuts and rubber.
- Rules must come in within a year: the slow phase-in options detailed in the consultation are at odds with government ambitions that this legislation should be ‘world-leading’.
- The new requirements on forest-risk commodities should apply to all businesses without exemptions: the volume of forest-risk commodities handled by companies or company size should not make a difference - it should apply to all operators and traders.

Please consider this attachment as part of my response to the consultation as an individual. I can also confirm that I'm happy for my submission to be made public: https://act.gp/DEFRAConsultation

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UK: Act now to protect the world’s forests

Boris Johnson’s government claims that a new UK law to tackle deforestation is ‘world-leading’, but as they reveal plans for its implementation, it looks like the government may not regulate many of those everyday products driving forest destruction for many years—we have until March 11th at 11:59pm to make our voices heard.

New research shows that the Amazon rainforest is approaching a tipping point—it’s time for urgent action on everyday products driving tropical deforestation. [1] The UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is conducting a public consultation on legislation that would support implementation on the due diligence provisions in the Environment Act.

Last year, we pushed to ensure that the due diligence provisions within the UK Environment Act applied to both legal and illegal deforestation. Unfortunately, the legislation only attempts to tackle ‘illegal’ deforestation. While the due diligence provisions in the Environment Act are weaker than what is urgently needed, we still need to come together and demand that the rules are as strong as possible.

Join us by emailing DEFRA and demanding they take action to protect forests—we’ve already drafted the email for you!

[1] Climate crisis: Amazon rainforest tipping point is looming, data shows