The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) opened a consultation Nov. 11 on proposed forest-risk commodity checks for businesses in Great Britain aimed at reducing illegal deforestation in commercial supply chains.
The government’s current plan would cover businesses with annual turnover above £1 million that use relevant commodities or goods made from them. That cutoff remains a proposal. Officials are seeking views on which businesses and products should be included, what checks companies should perform and how they should respond to deforestation risks.
The list under consideration includes wood, cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber and soy. Some finished goods, including chocolate and furniture, are also being considered. The initial approach would ask businesses to check whether covered goods complied with relevant laws in the countries where they were produced; the government describes a deforestation-free standard as a longer-term ambition.
Defra is seeking evidence on the rules’ costs and wider effects, which the government has not yet quantified. The government says the policy is intended to give consumers more confidence in the environmental footprint of products they buy. A mandatory timber due diligence framework has operated across the UK since 2013, according to government policy. Schedule 17 of the Environment Act 2021 provides for restrictions on commercial use of illegally produced forest-risk commodities, along with due diligence, reporting and enforcement provisions.
The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), the UK government’s nature-conservation adviser, estimates that UK demand for crops, cattle-related goods and timber corresponded to about 29,000 hectares of agriculture-driven forest loss worldwide in 2023. Defra said the associated consumption footprint was linked to 9.4 million tonnes of carbon emissions. The estimates do not identify what share of the forest loss involved illegal activity.
The EU’s Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products is scheduled to begin applying in Northern Ireland in phases from Dec. 30, 2026. The government says it wants the proposed Great Britain system to work alongside that regime and limit unnecessary administrative burdens. Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said the proposal is part of the government’s effort to protect forests and address climate and nature concerns.
Defra will use consultation responses and further engagement to shape its next steps. Responses are due Jan. 17, 2027, and the government expects legislation in 2027.
