Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 19
19
Deferred
Paragraph: 79
Prohibit UK businesses from trading or using commodities linked to UN FAO-defined deforestation, regardless of local legality.
Recommendation
We recommend that, in order to increase the sustainable use of forest-risk commodities, the Government should bring forward amendments to paragraph 2 of Schedule 17 to the Environment Act so as to prohibit UK businesses from trading or using commodities linked to deforestation activity as defined by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, whether or not the activity is permitted by local legislation.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government stated the FLEGT Post Implementation Review (PIR) will be published shortly and shared, with further analysis of lessons learned to be conducted, but did not commit to amending Schedule 17 to prohibit commodities linked to deforestation regardless of local legality.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
79
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
The Environment Act will require large organisations that use forest risk commodities in their commercial activity in the UK to ensure that those commodities were produced in compliance with local laws relating to land ownership and use. It recognises the primacy of national and sub-national governments’ decisions in determining the management of their natural resources. Commodity-driven deforestation is widely conducted in violation of national laws; at least 69% of tropical deforestation from 2013–2019 associated with commercial agriculture is estimated to be illegal.1 This rate is higher in many key producer countries from which the UK imports and significantly higher for the four commodities proposed for initial regulation. Supporting countries to eliminate the illegal production of forest risk commodities therefore has the potential to significantly reduce global forest loss. 1 Illicit Harvest, Complicit Goods report work in partnership with producer countries – and that working in partnership requires us to uphold and respect national laws.2 Our due diligence legislation is accompanied by a wider package of measures to support producer countries in strengthening their forest governance and domestic laws. Our experience has shown that implementing a legality-based approach under the Timber Regulations and the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Action Plan has contributed to improved forest governance, including strengthened regulations that provide legal backing for sustainable forestry in these countries. Similarly, in relation to the UK Forest Risk Commodity scheme, our aim is to encourage governments in producer countries to strengthen and improve environmental protections in their legislative frameworks. Through this approach we have the potential to influence all production within a country, rather than just what the UK imports, thereby reducing the risk of market redirection leakage. Schedule 17 of the Environment Act commits the Government to publishing a review into the effectiveness of the Forest Risk Commodity scheme in reducing commodity-driven deforestation two years after it comes into force. This review will consider, among other indicators, any changes to national laws that provide protection for forests, in order to ensure that our legislation is having the intended impact.
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