Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 21
21
Deferred
Phased introduction of forest-risk commodities lacks urgency and excludes key supply chain items.
Conclusion
A phased introduction of forest risk commodities misses the opportunity to set early and clear expectations that deforestation is not welcome in any UK supply chains. While the Government’s announcement that four major commodities will be brought within initial scope of the Schedule 17 regime is welcome, the failure to include commodities such as maize, rubber and coffee within this scope does not demonstrate the level of urgency required to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030. (Paragraph 81) The UK’s contribution to tackling global deforestation 49
Government Response Summary
The government affirmed its commitment to upholding high environmental standards in trade agreements, its ambition to protect the environment, and its involvement in international initiatives like the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration and the FACT Dialogue, but did not address the recommendation to include more forest-risk commodities in Schedule 17 without a phased approach.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
collaboration to support this agenda, including our trade negotiations. In line with our international obligations, the UK will continue to uphold our high environmental standards in all our trade agreements. The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections and has made clear that we will not compromise on these in our Free Trade Agreements. Free Trade Agreements form a critical part of the UK’s trade programme and we are working on securing provisions that support the government’s ambition to protect the environment and address climate change. This includes preserving our right to regulate, including to meet climate change objectives, and affirming our shared commitment to the Paris Agreement. We also aim to use our trade agreements and our bilateral trading relationships to support UK ambition on forestry, nature and sustainable supply chains and to address deforestation and forest degradation. Moreover, at COP26, the UK led the way on securing endorsement from over 140 world leaders to work together to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 under the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use. Also, the UK, as COP26 Presidents, launched the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade (FACT) Dialogue in February 2021, which convenes 28 major producer and consumer countries of internationally traded agricultural commodities to collectively agree actions to protect forests and other critical ecosystems, while promoting sustainable trade and development.