A lack of regulation of imported goods to the UK has helped destroy an area of global forest equivalent to the size of Liverpool, according to analysis by environmental group Global Witness.
Thousands of hectares of deforested land were linked to the imports of commodities such as cattle products, soy, oil palm, cocoa, coffee, and rubber in 2024, the data showed.
More than 6,000 hectares used in those supply chains were exposed to deforestation during the first six months of the new Labour government alone, Global Witness said (see table, below).
This was despite Labour promising to plough ahead with the previous Conservative government’s proposals to eradicate illegal deforestation in notoriously problematic commodity supply chains.
A proposed amendment to the UK Environment Act of 2021 – also known as the Forest Risk Commodity Regulation (UKFRC) – was brought forward last year to force companies to prove that their imported goods did not come from illegally deforested lands.
But the bill fell down the list of priorities when the general election was announced, and has not been revived by Labour ministers since.
Global Witness’s research brings the UK’s total “deforestation footprint” linked to direct imports to more than 39,300ha – an area of land bigger than the New Forest – since the Environment Act was passed in November 2021.
The campaign group also claimed Labour had so far “failed to act on the UK’s contribution to deforestation, despite pledging to restore the country’s climate leadership and tackle what they called a ‘nature emergency’ at home and abroad in their manifesto”.
Labour MP and co-chair of the APPG on Global Deforestation, Anna Gelderd, said of the findings: “The UK has the power to be a champion for nature and human rights, standing with those fighting to protect their forests.
“Yet the revelation that our imports have contributed to deforestation on such a massive scale risks us falling behind.
“This is a stark reminder that we must lead the charge in stopping deforestation-linked imports by urgently introducing the long-overdue measures in the Environment Act and closing loopholes on traceability and human rights.”
The analysis, published on Thursday, looked at the so-called deforestation footprint associated with UK imports of six ‘forest-risk’ commodities – cattle products, soy, oil palm, cocoa, coffee and rubber – between November 2021 and December 2024.
But the figures were likely to be a “significant underestimate” of the impact of UK trade on the world’s forests, Global Witness noted, as the analysis only looked at imports of those commodities in their raw form – and did not include when they were embedded in products, like palm oil in shampoo or chocolate, for example.
The vast majority of the UK’s deforestation footprint was linked to cattle products imported from Brazil, where vast swathes of endangered ecosystems like the Amazon and Cerrado have been bulldozed to make room for pasture.
Read more: The deforestation regulation clock is ticking for food and drink
A total of 12,856ha of deforestation was linked to direct imports of Brazilian cattle products alone in just over three years, between November 2021 and December 2024, figures showed.
Soyabeans from Brazil also contributed to its ranking as the top partner for deforestation exposure, linked to 2,494ha.
Other high-ranking commodities and countries within the same period included oil palm fruit from Papua New Guinea (6,727ha) and Indonesia (4,249ha), and cocoa beans from Ivory Coast (4,875ha).
Global Witness, along with many other eco-groups and several in the food and drink industry, has urged government to issue the final guidelines for the anti-deforestation regulations.
There have also been calls for ministers to include coffee and rubber in the government’s proposed list of products, as they have historically been linked to intensive deforestation.
This would also align with the European Union’s upcoming deforestation law, making it easier for British businesses trading across the continent to follow the rules.
Alexandria Reid, Global Witness campaign lead, said: “The UK’s ongoing contribution to global deforestation is a national embarrassment.
“The government cannot claim to be a climate leader while allowing deforestation-linked imports to continue to flood our markets. Every day of inaction undermines our global credibility and helps drive nature’s destruction.
“Labour must act fast and strengthen the proposed regulations”, she added. “Only then can we shut the door on dirty imports tainted with deforestation and human rights abuses, proving the UK is truly serious about green and ethical trade.
“With COP30 looming, the UK government must set the pace on global forest protection, not make excuses while climate-critical ecosystems like the Amazon burn.”
| Deforestation linked to UK direct imports Nov 21-Dec 24 | |
|---|---|
|
Commodity |
Total deforestation exposure (ha) |
|
Cattle products |
13,821.42 |
|
Cocoa beans |
6,183.89 |
|
Coffee, green* |
3,027.46 |
|
Natural rubber in primary forms* |
1,186.52 |
|
Oil palm fruit |
11,644.50 |
|
Soya beans |
3,445.37 |
|
Total |
39,309.17 |
| Deforestation linked to UK direct imports Dec 23-Dec 24 | |
|---|---|
|
Commodity |
Total deforestation exposure (ha) |
|
Cattle products |
4,882.29 |
|
Cocoa beans |
2,124.38 |
|
Coffee, green* |
970.99 |
|
Natural rubber in primary forms* |
301.80 |
|
Oil palm fruit |
3,939.96 |
|
Soya beans |
1,293.89 |
|
Total |
13,513.32 |
| Deforestation linked to UK direct imports July 24-Dec 24 | |
|---|---|
|
Commodity |
Total deforestation exposure (ha) |
|
Cattle products |
2,413.67 |
|
Cocoa beans |
582.10 |
|
Coffee, green* |
395.28 |
|
Natural rubber in primary forms* |
142.36 |
|
Oil palm fruit |
1,945.47 |
|
Soya beans |
674.44 |
|
Total |
6,153.31 |
Source: Global Witness. NB: *denotes product is not included in proposed list of commodities to be regulated under the Environment Act
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