Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 46
46
Accepted
Paragraph: 169
Extend UK engagement to major consumers in other markets to halt deforestation
Recommendation
Ending commodity-driven deforestation requires decisive action by all major consumers. While the UK and EU markets represent a relatively high proportion of global consumption of some forest risk commodities, such as cocoa and coffee, they account for a relatively small proportion of others, including soy and palm oil, compared to other large markets such as the Asia Pacific market. In order to have maximum impact on efforts to halt and reverse deforestation, the UK’s engagement must therefore extend to major consumers of forest-risk commodities in other markets.
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the importance of working with international partners and explains its approach through trade negotiations to uphold environmental standards and address deforestation. It also highlights its leadership in the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration and the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade (FACT) Dialogue to engage major producer and consumer countries.
Paragraph Reference:
169
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
We acknowledge the importance of working with partners through all avenues of 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.