Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to reduce domestic demand for palm oil in the biofuel and food industries; and if he will make a statement.

The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to support and protect the world’s forests, supporting sustainable agriculture and zero-deforestation supply chains, including for palm oil. The plan led to the establishment of a Global Resource Initiative aimed at reducing deforestation caused by UK demand for commodities, including palm oil.

The Government also helped convene the UK Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and is working with the signatories of the Amsterdam Declaration on increasing the uptake of sustainable palm oil. The latest report from the UK Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil indicates that the UK achieved 75% certified sustainable palm oil in 2017.

Biofuels made from palm oil have not been reported for supply under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) in the last three years and the use of non-waste oils in biofuel is minimal. The Government has agreed to focus on utilising waste derived biofuels, which generally have higher greenhouse gas savings. The most recent changes to the RTFO, which set out the UK biofuel policy to 2032, include a cap on the contribution of crop based biofuels in the UK, decreasing from 4% in 2020 to 2% in 2032.