Legal & Regulatory News

UK Government launches consultation on proposed mandatory forest risk commodities due diligence regime

On 3 December 2021, the UK Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) launched a consultation on its proposed mandatory forest risk commodities due diligence regime. The aim of the regime is to help to prevent illegal deforestation in UK supply chains.

The mandatory due diligence regime will make it illegal for larger businesses operating in the UK to use key forest risk commodities produced on land illegally occupied or used, and will require in-scope businesses to conduct thorough due diligence of the relevant parts of their supply chains and report on this exercise annually. Defra's consultation calls for feedback on various aspects of the proposals, including what businesses will be in-scope.

Click here to access the consultation and related documents.