Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Paragraph: 78
Schedule 17 due diligence system insufficient due to exclusion of legal deforestation.
Conclusion
The due diligence system established under Schedule 17 will prohibit the use of illegally produced commodities with reference to compliance with local laws. This means that products of legal deforestation will not be within the scope of the system, unlike comparable EU legislation. This is regrettable. Only 31% of deforestation globally is illegal; the wide variation in the strength of local laws on deforestation is a weakness of this approach, and there is the possibility of deregulation in response to the UK’s due diligence requirements.
Paragraph Reference:
78
Government Response
A response document is linked to this report, dated 26 March 2024. Response attribution to this conclusion has not been verified. Read the response document ↗