AnalysisUK deforestation factsheet puts spotlight on beef imports
Trase’s latest analysis shows that the UK needs to do more to reduce deforestation linked to agricultural commodity imports, particularly beef from Brazil. The UK government is due to consult on new measures to reduce deforestation that align more closely with the EU Deforestation Regulation.
Trase has published an updated factsheet on the UK’s role in driving global deforestation via imports of agricultural commodities such as beef, cocoa and soy, enabling comparison with similar-sized countries in the EU.
The UK’s average deforestation exposure in 2021–2023 from agricultural commodities imported directly into the country was 10,800 hectares per year. In comparison to EU27 countries, the UK ranks sixth between Germany and France. Over the same period, Germany’s deforestation exposure was 11,800 while France’s was 7,500 ha.
The UK's total deforestation exposure was larger when accounting for re-exports of products (12,000 ha) than just directly imported products (10,800 ha). This is because the UK imports more products that are linked to deforestation indirectly via countries such as the Netherlands than it re-exports to other countries.
In contrast, the Netherlands has much higher exposure via direct trade at 39,000 ha compared to 14,500 ha when adjusted for re-exports. This is because the Netherlands is an important entry point for commodities imported into Europe, which are then re-exported to other countries including the UK.
Looking at the UK’s direct imports, by far the two most important origin countries for deforestation exposure were Brazil (4,800 ha, 44.5%) and Côte d’Ivoire (2,800 ha, 25.9%). Across all origin countries, the most important commodities were cattle products (4,350 ha, 40.3%), cocoa (2,790 ha, 25.9%) and soy (956 ha, 8.9%). Brazilian cattle products alone were responsible for around 40% of the UK’s direct trade deforestation exposure.
After adjusting for re-exports, the picture is similar; with a slightly higher footprint from cocoa (3,240 ha), soy (1,250 ha) and palm oil (785 ha), suggesting some of the risk is coming indirectly via intermediary countries, while UK’s deforestation exposure linked to cattle products was slightly lower (3,790 ha).
The UK’s total deforestation exposure decreased by almost 41% between 2014 and 2023 due largely to much lower rates of deforestation for palm oil in Indonesia, which was historically an important source of deforestation exposure for the UK, mirroring similar reductions in exposure for EU countries. However, a sustained fall in exposure is far from guaranteed as rates of deforestation in Indonesia have begun to rise in recent years, but are not yet captured in the factsheet data. Lower deforestation exposure from soy and cattle products since 2014 have also contributed to the overall drop, although the trends have levelled off in more recent years.
As well as the global analysis shown above, Trase’s more detailed subnational data enables the UK to identify hotspots of deforestation in countries of production linked to commodity imports.
For imports of Brazilian beef, Trase estimates that the UK was most exposed to deforestation in the states of Mato Grosso (15.3%), Rio Grande Do Sul (9.6%) and Goias (4.8%). However, for 60.1% of the UK’s imports (2,520 ha), the production location could not be identified with publicly available data, highlighting the importance of improving both traceability systems and public transparency.
Just three trading companies – Marfrig, JBS and Minerva – together accounted for 92.6% of the UK’s deforestation exposure from Brazilian beef. This highlights an outsized opportunity to substantially de-risk the Brazil-UK beef supply chain. While all three companies have made zero-deforestation commitments, tackling deforestation in ‘indirect’ supplies where meat processing and trading companies purchase cattle from other ranchers remains a key blindspot. Citing difficulties in monitoring this indirect supply, JBS recently back-tracked on its 2040 net-zero target, drawing criticism from environmental groups and casting further doubt on its commitments to eliminate deforestation from these suppliers.
In the face of insufficient voluntary action by companies, regulation from importing markets is proving necessary to tackle deforestation in supply chains. The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) comes into effect from the end of this year, preventing companies importing commodities into the EU that have been grown on recently deforested land. The EUDR will also apply to Northern Ireland as it has access to both the EU and UK markets. In contrast, the UK still has no equivalent regulations in place to prevent the continuing importation of products linked to deforestation despite promising “world-leading” action on deforestation under the 2021 Environment Act.
In late June, the UK government announced it would consult on regulations in Great Britain that target illegal deforestation, including using powers in the Environment Act. It will propose that these measures start to align with the EUDR by covering the same core commodities and underlying information requirements. This is a welcome shift in the government’s position as increased alignment helps create a level playing field for companies, producers and producer governments as well as reducing compliance costs. The government signalled its ambition for further alignment by transitioning to a “deforestation-free standard which will require relevant products to be produced free from any deforestation”, not just illegal deforestation as is currently proposed. However, this would require further primary legislation.
