Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 22
22
Deferred
Paragraph: 82
Include all material UK deforestation footprint commodities in due diligence legislation from the outset.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government’s proposals for due diligence legislation should include from the outset all forest risk commodities associated with a material UK deforestation footprint (soy, palm oil, cocoa, maize, beef and leather, rubber and coffee) rather than taking the phased approach which Ministers appear to favour. In the response to this report we expect the Government to set out the evidential basis for the claim that the commodities within initial scope are estimated to account for 64% of the UK’s tropical deforestation footprint, and to indicate the proportion of the UK’s global deforestation footprint estimated to be covered by these commodities.
Government Response Summary
The government stated that Impact Assessments for new Free Trade Agreements have included environmental impact estimates and that research has been undertaken on assessing net gain in trade, but did not address the recommendation to include all forest-risk commodities in due diligence legislation from the outset or provide the requested evidential basis.
Paragraph Reference:
82
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
Published Impact Assessments for new Free Trade Agreements have already included both quantitative and qualitative estimates of the impacts on several aspects of the environment, including emissions, deforestation, air and water quality, and biodiversity. Separately, the Government has undertaken research over the last 18 months exploring the feasibility of assessing net gain in trade.