UK proposes mandatory deforestation due diligence for seven commodities

UK consumption of forest-risk commodities drove approximately 29,000 hectares of forest loss worldwide in 2023 — an area one and a half times the size of Manchester — and contributed 9.4 million tonnes of carbon emissions. On Wednesday, November 11, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) opened a consultation proposing mandatory due diligence rules for businesses that handle the commodities behind that footprint.

The proposed regime targets seven commodity streams: palm oil, soy, cocoa, coffee, timber, rubber and cattle. Businesses dealing in these materials would face a legal obligation to assess their supply chains and establish that their products carry no link to illegal deforestation overseas. Soy and palm oil sit inside everyday UK products — chocolate, cooking oils, toiletries and cosmetics — and their production can involve the illegal seizure or clearance of forested land.

Defra frames the measures as a way to stop goods sold in Great Britain from driving illegal forest clearance abroad. The consultation will gather views from businesses, environmental organisations and international stakeholders, and will test proposals built on existing legal powers, including those contained in the Environment Act 2021. It will also consider measures to strengthen the UK Timber Regulation.

The timing is deliberate. Senior politicians from around the world, including the UK Foreign Secretary, are gathering for a Leaders' Summit Event on Forests at the COP31 climate conference in Antalya.

Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle set out the government's rationale in direct terms. "We cannot tackle climate change without acting to protect the world's forests, which contain some of our planet's most valuable wildlife and habitats," she said.

She added: "British consumers want to feel confident that the everyday goods they buy are not driving devastating illegal deforestation abroad, and so we are stepping in to give them that certainty. This government is determined to stamp illegal deforestation out of UK supply chains for good and show global leadership on tackling the climate and nature crises."

What does this change for commodity importers?

For now, nothing is binding. The consultation stage means the due diligence obligations remain proposals, not law, and the scope, thresholds and enforcement mechanics will depend on what Defra hears from respondents. What is concrete is the legal foundation: the government intends to legislate through powers already available under the Environment Act 2021 rather than wait for new primary legislation.

The proposed approach also carries an international commitment with a deadline. At the 2021 COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, the UK joined 144 other countries in pledging to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030. The consultation documents position the new regime as the domestic mechanism that supports that target — a commitment now on the clock with a fixed date.

How does Northern Ireland fit the picture?

The government says it wants the Great Britain regime to operate alongside existing arrangements in Northern Ireland, in order to minimise administrative burdens, protect the UK internal market and support export-led growth. Northern Ireland occupies a dual position because it accesses both the UK Internal Market and the EU Single Market.

The EU's Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products will begin applying in Northern Ireland in phases from December 30, 2026. Defra has encouraged businesses to prepare their supply chains ahead of that date to ensure compliance. That phased application gives firms handling the seven commodities roughly two years to map their exposure before the first legally binding deadlines bite on one side of the Irish Sea.

Defra also stated a long-term ambition: to move the UK toward a deforestation-free standard, building on international efforts to eliminate forest loss from global supply chains entirely.

What happens next?

The consultation that opened on November 11 will decide the final shape of the due diligence obligations. The milestone to watch is twofold: Defra's response to the consultation, which will set the statutory timetable for Great Britain, and the phased arrival of the EU deforestation regulation in Northern Ireland from December 30, 2026. Together they will determine when forest-risk commodity flows into the UK face enforceable, rather than voluntary, supply chain rules.