Brazil threatened UK Gov with WTO action over deforestation law
The Brazilian government has threatened to challenge proposed UK deforestation legislation at the World Trade Organisation, documents obtained by Greenpeace Unearthed reveal.
The proposed legislation seeks to prevent “large companies” in the UK from using products grown on illegally deforested land.
Defra refused when asked to disclose submissions by the Brazilian government to its consultations on the legislation, arguing that doing so could harm international relations. Unearthed obtained the documents via a Freedom of Information request to Brazil’s Foreign Ministry.
In its submissions, which raise objections to almost every element of the planned laws, the Brazil government:
- strongly suggests the proposals, as they stand, could harm future trade deals
- threatens to challenge the legislation under World Trade Organisation rules
- argues that the law’s proposed focus on illegal deforestation would give countries with laxer environmental laws a competitive advantage
- argues that its forest-protection forces are too underfunded to effectively enforce environmental laws or police illegal clearing
- says that requiring businesses to have robust checking systems in place would be “highly burdensome”
In the documents obtained by Unearthed, an accompanying note from Brazilian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Fred Arruda, requests that Brazil’s Foreign Ministry try to bring together other tropical countries which export agricultural commodities to jointly express their concern around the legislation, including Cameroon, Paraguay, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Deforestation in Brazil has soared over the last four years under the administration of President Jair Bolsonaro. Land-grabbers and ranchers have been emboldened by Bolsonaro’s vocal support for economic development over conservation. At the same time, severe budget cuts and personnel changes have hampered environment agencies’ capacity to curb illegal deforestation, leading to an atmosphere of permissive impunity.
Bolsonaro has also repeatedly sought to expand the definition of legal deforestation, whether by changes to land-grabbing laws which extend amnesty and land-titles to illegal clearances, by opening up Indigenous lands to farming, or by stripping status from protected areas.
Louisa Casson, head of forests at Greenpeace UK, said:
“Action to tackle deforestation is a big threat to food giants and their political allies, and these documents expose international lobbying efforts to weaken proposed laws that could curb destructive activities.
“But Defra’s proposals are already weak and unfit for purpose. To be truly ‘world-leading’ on forest protection, UK ministers must stand up to forest destroyers and their allies, including the Bolsonaro government. Only a law that stops all products linked to both illegal and legal deforestation entering the UK will ensure our supply chains aren’t littered with ingredients grown among the dying embers of the Amazon or other climate-critical forests.”
Cristiane Mazzetti, forest campaigner at Greenpeace Brazil, said:
“Deforestation in the Amazon reduced by 80% between 2004 and 2012, proving Brazil knows how to produce without destroying forests. Brazil has the potential to stand out in efforts to meet the criteria of anti-deforestation laws and in the climate agenda. But it has followed the opposite path.
“The Bolsonaro government has chosen to weaken international relations and stimulate the most backward form of development. Brazil now has the highest deforestation rates since 2006 and a clear signal that the market will not tolerate products linked to destruction.”
The European Parliament recently approved a bill requiring importing companies to verify whether products are produced in deforested areas – including those that were cleared legally. Last October in the US, a similar law targeting only illegal deforestation was introduced in the Senate.
