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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of deforestation regulations under the Environment Act 2021 on smallholder farmers; and what steps the Government is taking to ensure that those farmers are not disproportionately excluded from UK supply chains, including through the (a) provision of support, (b) training and (c) more equitable terms by UK companies and the Government.

The Government recognises the need to prevent UK consumption of forest-risk commodities from driving deforestation while minimising impacts on low-income smallholder farmers in the Global South.

We acknowledge their vital role in producing essential commodities and safeguarding forests. Through programmes such as the Official Development Assistance-funded Investment in Forests and Sustainable Land Use and the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade Dialogue, we support sustainable practices, new business models, and international collaboration to reduce exclusion risks.

We remain committed to working with partners globally to build climate-resilient, nature-positive communities and will set out our approach to addressing forest-risk commodities in due course.