• The UK government has announced its intention to publish regulations on ending the UK’s consumption of commodities grown on illegally deforested land. A consultation on the regulations will be launched shortly.
  
• The government and has also signalled its longer-term intention to require products to be produced free from any deforestation, as the EU has done.
  
• This is a welcome but long-overdue step.
  
• The regulations will trigger a review by HM Treasury into the financing of deforestation, which is urgently needed.

The NGO Forest Coalition welcomes the announcement that the UK government will take forward forest risk commodity regulations to tackle the UK’s consumption of goods grown on illegally deforested land.

Until now, there has been nothing to stop the import of palm oil, soy, beef, leather, rubber, cocoa or coffee produced on illegally deforested land.

These regulations will help reduce the UK’s contribution to global deforestation by preventing imports linked to illegal forest clearance – a critical first step. While the regulations will not cover products grown on land that was cleared legally under the laws of the producing country, the government’s stated intention to cover this clearance in future is essential to preserve important forests, wildlife habitats and carbon-rich ecosystems. This is necessary to meet the UK’s commitment, alongside other governments, to end all deforestation by 2030. This move will also bring the UK’s laws into line with the EU’s regime,  set to enter into application at the end of this year.

Delays in implementing Schedule 17 since the Environment Act passed in 2021, mean a further 54,000 hectares of forest – an area the size of Leeds – has been destroyed to produce goods imported to the UK, according to Global Witness. Destruction of global forests for large-scale commercial agriculture is also often associated with human rights abuses: dispossession, displacement, deforestation and food insecurity.

Now, after nearly five years of waiting, we have a clearer route to implementation of the ban.

Alex Sobel, Co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Global Deforestation said:

“I’m delighted the government has moved forward with this important step to protect tropical forests from illegal conversion to agriculture. For too long UK consumers have been unwittingly buying goods grown on illegally deforested land. Action now will force companies to change and demonstrate that the Government is serious about the deforestation agenda. It is critical that we also provide the resources to support robust enforcement of this important regulation.”

Pippa Heylings, Co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Global Deforestation said:

“Businesses have been crying out for clarity on forest risk commodity regulations.  We at the APPG Global Deforestation have been asking for robust regulations that provide a level playing field, support sustainable supply chains and align as closely as possible with the EU Deforestation Regulation. This is an example of a policy that is good for business, local communities and the environment.”

Cassie Dummett, Coordinator of the NGO Forest Coalition said:

“We are delighted that the government is taking forward its commitment to end global deforestation. This is a strong signal to business that supply chains need to be deforestation-free. For too long, consumers in the UK have been buying goods that are tainted with deforestation. We hope to see the prohibition extended to the financing of deforestation. We welcome this announcement and the intent to end all deforestation in UK supply chains.”

A stark warning of the urgency to protect forests was delivered in a recent National Security Assessment which highlighted how global biodiversity loss linked to deforestation and related ecosystem collapse will drive higher food and energy prices in the UK and intensify geopolitical competition for scarce resources within a very short timescale.

70% of British citizens, irrespective of age or political affiliation, back the UK government taking action to stop the import of commodities tainted by deforestation overseas.

The UK’s links to deforestation extend beyond the consumption of commodities grown on deforested land. The UK is also a major financial centre and financial institutions are funding the companies that are destroying tropical forests. The NGO Forest Coalition is calling on the UK government to now commence the HM Treasury review to assess the extent to which regulation of the UK financial system is adequate for the purpose of eliminating the financing of the use of prohibited forest risk commodities – which was mandated by law in 2023 and is yet to be commenced.

Alexandria Reid, Deputy Director at Global Witness and member of the NGO Forest Coalition said:

“The UK’s regulation now needs to enter into force swiftly, to save global rainforests from reaching a tipping point. To make a dent in global deforestation rates, the UK government needs to demand full traceability information from businesses and extend the law to cover all deforestation – regardless of legality – as soon as possible.”

Alexandra Benjamin, Policy Adviser at Fern and member of the NGO Forest Coalition said:

“Destroying forests for food production disrupts weather systems, threatens food security, and harms the communities who depend on them most. This announcement is a necessary response. Now the government must back it up: dedicate real resources to consulting Indigenous Peoples, forest defenders, and civil society, especially women and vulnerable groups. Words matter. So does who gets to shape them.”

Fyfe Strachan, Policy and Communications Lead at Earthsight and member of the NGO Forest Coalition said:

“After nearly five years of inaction, today’s announcement signals that the UK government is at last ready to reduce the impact of UK consumption on forests and communities overseas. UK businesses should not be selling the products of illegal forest destruction, land grabbing or human rights abuses. We urge the government to move quickly from announcement to enforcement so that UK consumers can be clear that the products on their supermarket shelves are not from bulldozed forests or stolen land.”

Vanessa Richardson, Forests Advocacy and Policy Campaign Lead at the Environmental Investigation Agency and member of the NGO Forest coalition said:

“The government’s own national security assessment shows that deforestation is not just an environmental issue, but a direct threat to the UK’s economic stability and food security. After years of delay, this announcement is a welcome step. To match the scale of the risk, the UK now needs robust mandatory regulation, underpinned by full supply chain traceability and enforcement that is properly resourced to be effective.”

Clare Oxborrow, corporate accountability campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:

“This long-overdue legislation is vitally needed, but it lacks stronger provisions that cover all forms of harmful deforestation – illegal or not. Other weaknesses in the legislation, such as that it will apply only to limited commodities, with no mention of human rights, mean that critical forests will continue to be destroyed and communities put in harm’s way. We need a new Business, Human Rights and Environment Act to hold UK companies to account for harm to people and planet in their supply chains. This would give impacted communities a route to justice if and when abuses occur.”

Gemma Hoskins, Global Climate Lead at Mighty Earth said:

“As Britain boils in the extreme heat, it’s a relief that the UK is aligning more closely with the rules of the European Union to tackle illegal deforestation, a key driver of global warming. Critical too, that it’s working to prevent any barriers to trade for Northern Ireland. And that geolocation is on the table, so that UK companies must prove that the field or farm where a commodity has been produced has not contributed to forest destruction.”

Gavin Crowden, Director of Advocacy at WWF said: 

“The UK Government has warned that the collapse of tropical forests in places like the Amazon and Indonesia is a national security risk, not just an environmental one. We rely on these forests for food and climate stability, and they’re home to extraordinary wildlife. With new rules finally coming into force in Northern Ireland at the end of the year, there is no excuse for further delay that would leave shoppers in the rest of the UK still unwittingly driving the destruction of the rainforest.”

The NGO Forest Coalition welcomes the government’s decision to open a consultation on UK-wide alignment with the EU’s regime. It is vital that the consultation facilitates input from smallholder farmers, Indigenous Peoples and local communities whose livelihoods and territories are affected by UK consumption of commodities produced on deforested land.

This is important for growth: the EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR) will take effect at the end of 2026 and will apply to £4.3 billion worth of UK exports to Europe. UK businesses in the UK Cocoa Coalition have made it clear that they want forest risk commodity regulations.

To address the broader human rights abuses and environmental harms associated with global supply chains it is also necessary to introduce a Business Human Rights and Environment Act for the UK.

The NGO Forest Coalition provides the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Deforestation. The APPG on Global Deforestation has worked tirelessly to promote opportunities for the UK government to play a leadership role in ending global deforestation, calling for the implementation of Schedule 17’s forest risk commodity regulations.  The deadline of ending and reversing global deforestation by 2030 is fast approaching.

These regulations are a step towards ending the UK’s links to global deforestation. We urge the government to open the consultation swiftly and act promptly to expand the scope of the ban to include legal deforestation and non-agricultural drivers of deforestation.

CONTACT: Cassie Dummett, NGO Forest Coalition Coordinator cassie@ngoforestcoalition.org

About The NGO Forest Coalition

The NGO Forest Coalition is a group of NGOs working to protect forests in the context of climate change, biodiversity, development and human rights. The coalition is made up of Cool Earth, Fern NGO, Friends of the Earth, Environmental Investigation Agency, Earthsight, Mighty Earth, Rainforest Foundation UK, Global Witness, Global Canopy, and WWF-UK. We work together, and alongside partners, government and the private sector, to push for strong policies, actions and funding to address deforestation and the associated human rights abuses connected with it. The NGO Forest Coalition provides the secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Global Deforestation.