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DEFRA proposes legislation to protect rainforests and clean up supply chains

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Courtesy of Michael Dantas for WWF Brazil

The Department for Food, Environment, and Rural Affairs has opened a consultation on legislation that would make it illegal for supply chains to source and use products that do not comply with local laws to protect natural areas.

Under the proposed legislation, larger businesses operating in the UK would be prohibited from using products grown on land that was deforested illegally.
The proposed legislation would also require businesses to carry out due diligence on their supply chains by publishing information to show where key commodities like cocoa, rubber, soy, and palm oil have come from, and to ensure they are produced in line with local laws protecting forests and other natural ecosystems.

The government has said that companies that fail to do this could be subject to fines –  with the precise level to be set at a later date.

Courtesy of WWF

Zac Goldsmith, international environment minister, said: “Ahead of hosting the UN Climate Change Conference next year, the UK has a duty to lead the way in combatting the biodiversity and nature crisis now upon us.
“We will continue to work closely with farmers, business and governments around the world to ensure that we can protect our vital forests and support livelihoods as we build back greener from coronavirus.”
The proposal has been welcomed by Mike Barrett, executive director of Science and Conservation at WWF, who said: “Our precious Amazon rainforest is on fire right now due to rampant deforestation and the UK public are telling us they want urgent action.
“We need tough new laws to cut deforestation out of supply chains – a world-leading Environment Bill would stop the UK importing habitat destruction so shoppers can be confident in the products they buy.”

The WWF cited its own research in supporting the proposed legislation which said that 67% of people believe the government should be doing more to tackle destruction in the Amazon.

In addition, 81% of people said there should be greater transparency of the origin of the products that are imported into the UK and almost three-quarters (73%) said the UK should stop trading with countries that fail to protect the natural environment.

The WWF report comes as more than 20,000 fires were detected in the Amazon in August this year; following an increase in deforestation alerts of 33% since last year.

Amazon forest logging. Courtesy of Marizilda Cruppe for WWF UK

The destruction and degradation of the Earth’s vital habitats also increases the risk of extreme weather, drives biodiversity loss, and exacerbates the spread of infectious diseases.

Sir Ian Cheshire, the chair of the government’s Global Resource Initiative independent task force added: “We need to find ways of reducing this impact if we are to tackle climate change, reduce the risks of pandemics and protect the livelihoods of some of the poorest people in the world.”
The consultation will run for six weeks and seek views from UK and international stakeholders, and will take into consideration potential impacts on businesses and other interests
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