ENDORSING THE END OF THE AMAZON: CRITICAL WEAKNESSES IN THE UK GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSED FOREST RISK COMMODITIES FRAMEWORK AND HOW TO FIX THEM

The document assesses the UK's proposed law to minimise deforestation linked to 'forest risk commodities', arguing that its reliance on 'relevant local laws' creates a loophole that would allow commodities from Brazil to enter the UK market even if they result from legalised deforestation. It details several Brazilian legislative proposals (such as PL 2633/2020 and PL 490/2007) that aim to legalise land grabbing and restrict Indigenous land rights. ClientEarth recommends that the UK adopt an objective standard covering all deforestation, mandate free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) for Indigenous Peoples, and explicitly include cattle, soy, and non-agricultural commodities like mining and oil and gas in the framework.

• The UK Government's proposed 'legality approach' in Schedule 17 of the Environment Bill allows commodities to enter the UK market if they are 'legal' under local laws, which the document argues encourages a 'race to the bottom' where producer countries may weaken environmental protections to maintain market access.
• Proposed legal reforms in Brazil could legalise vast amounts of deforestation, including 178 million hectares on private land and up to 115 million hectares in protected Indigenous territories, rendering the UK's proposed legality-based law effectively meaningless.
• Specific Brazilian bills threaten Indigenous rights and forest protection: PL 2633/2020 and PL 510/2021 seek to legalise historical land grabbing; PL 490/2007 introduces the 'marco temporal' rule to restrict land demarcation; and PL 191/2020 allows economic exploitation of Indigenous territories.
• The UK's proposed framework fails to require operators to ensure that commodities are not produced in violation of the right of Indigenous Peoples to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), which is critical as approximately 80% of Indigenous and communal lands globally lack legally recognised tenure.
• Cattle and soy are primary drivers of deforestation in Brazil, yet the document argues they must be explicitly designated as forest risk commodities; it notes that 95% of UK corned beef imports come from Brazil and the UK's Brazilian soy land-use footprint covers nearly half a million hectares annually.
• The document recommends expanding the scope of 'forest risk commodities' beyond agriculture to include non-agricultural sectors such as mining, oil, and gas, which are also highly associated with deforestation.

APA

ClientEarth (n.d.). ENDORSING THE END OF THE AMAZON: CRITICAL WEAKNESSES IN THE UK GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSED FOREST RISK COMMODITIES FRAMEWORK AND HOW TO FIX THEM. https://www.clientearth.org/media/i1hmx1vc/endorsing-the-end-of-the-amazon_brazil-uk-policy-brief_10-09-21.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. ENDORSING THE END OF THE AMAZON: CRITICAL WEAKNESSES IN THE UK GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSED FOREST RISK COMMODITIES FRAMEWORK AND HOW TO FIX THEM. n.d. https://www.clientearth.org/media/i1hmx1vc/endorsing-the-end-of-the-amazon_brazil-uk-policy-brief_10-09-21.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=ClientEarth |title=ENDORSING THE END OF THE AMAZON: CRITICAL WEAKNESSES IN THE UK GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSED FOREST RISK COMMODITIES FRAMEWORK AND HOW TO FIX THEM |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/i1hmx1vc/endorsing-the-end-of-the-amazon_brazil-uk-policy-brief_10-09-21.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clientearthndendorsing, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{ENDORSING THE END OF THE AMAZON: CRITICAL WEAKNESSES IN THE UK GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSED FOREST RISK COMMODITIES FRAMEWORK AND HOW TO FIX THEM}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/i1hmx1vc/endorsing-the-end-of-the-amazon_brazil-uk-policy-brief_10-09-21.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }