Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle the effect of palm-oil production on orangutan populations in Borneo.

The UK supports sustainable trade of agricultural commodities, including palm oil. We are a signatory to the Amsterdam Declaration in support of a fully sustainable palm oil supply chain and are a member of the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020. These initiatives support action to prevent deforestation and protect habitats for endangered species like orang-utans.

In Indonesia, we are working with the Government to help strengthen its sustainable palm oil standard. We are also working with the Indonesian financial services authority on regulations to raise industry environmental and social standards, including relating to biodiversity and conservation. In Malaysia we are working with Government enforcement agencies and NGOs to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and deforestation.