Fairtrade calls on UK Government to put smallholder farmers at the heart of new deforestation regulations

The proposed legislation would aim to prevent products linked to illegal deforestation from entering the UK market. Under the proposed new rules, large companies importing commodities such as cocoa, coffee, palm oil and soy would be required to demonstrate that their products have not been produced on illegally deforested land, carry out due diligence across their supply chains, and publicly report on their findings.

While Fairtrade welcomes the Government's efforts to protect forests and tackle environmental destruction, it warns that poorly designed regulations could unintentionally place additional burdens on smallholder farmers who are already facing low incomes, climate change impacts and volatile markets.

Marie Rumsby, Director of Advocacy at the Fairtrade Foundation, said:

"Protecting forests and protecting farmers’ livelihoods must go hand in hand. Smallholder farmers produce more than a third of the world’s food yet are often not earning enough to cover their basic costs. Now, the people around the world who are growing our food risk bearing a disproportionate share of the costs of new deforestation regulations. Measures to tackle agriculture-driven deforestation will only succeed in the long term if farmers have the resources, incentives and market access they need to adopt more sustainable practices.

“The UK therefore has an opportunity to learn from the EU’s experience and develop an approach that delivers for both forests and farming communities. New regulations must be designed with farmers, not simply applied to them. The regulations should avoid shifting compliance costs and responsibilities onto smallholders, creating barriers to markets or pushing farmers out of supply chains. Farmers and producer organisations must have a meaningful voice throughout the development and implementation of the regulations."

Fairtrade is concerned that, unless fairness is built into the legislation, the new requirements could:

• Create new compliance costs and administrative burdens that farmers cannot afford
• Encourage companies to source from larger suppliers while excluding smallholder producers
• Disproportionately impact farmers who have contributed least to deforestation but stand to lose the most from new market barriers

Fairtrade is calling on the UK Government to ensure that the new regulations:

• Include and listen to smallholder farmers throughout the design and implementation process
• Share the compliance responsibility across the supply chain so that the cost and burden is not passed onto farmers and workers
• Protect farmers' rights over their own data
• Support farmers to earn a living income to future proof against agriculture driven deforestation

Fairtrade believes these regulations can be designed in a way that supports farmer livelihoods, reduces pressure on forests and strengthens transparency across supply chains. If they are, they can deliver both environmental and social benefits. If they are not designed in this way, the legislation risks worsening economic pressures on smallholder farmers and excluding them from important export markets.

Smallholder farmers have welcomed efforts to tackle deforestation but are warning that they cannot shoulder the burden of implementation alone.

In an open letter to policymakers published today, over 100 Fairtrade coffee and cocoa producer organisations said:

"We know how important our forests are. We want to protect them too. Forests give us shade, protect our crops, and help our farms survive. They are home to wildlife and to our communities. They are part of the future we want for our children. That is why we welcome the UK’s new rules to stop products linked to deforestation from entering the UK.  
“But we are worried about what happens next. These new rules will mean that farmers like us must provide more information, collect more evidence, often multiple times for different businesses, and take on new costs simply to keep selling our crops to the UK. For a small farmer, this is not a small thing, and we are worried that we will be asked to carry the biggest financial burden in these changes.
“We are already facing rising costs, unpredictable weather, and harvests threatened by a changing climate we did not create. Many of us have very little money to spare. We cannot afford to pay alone for a problem that stretches all the way from our farms to some of the UK’s biggest businesses. The companies buying our crops need to play their part. 
“Protecting our forests must be done in partnership with support from UK businesses to protect our livelihoods through practical support and shared costs.”

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Notes to editors

• For more information and interviews, please contact: Laura Ouseley Laura.ouseley@fairtrade.org.uk, +44(0)7909 875 956, Martine Parry Martine.Parry@fairtrade.org.uk or media@fairtrade.org.uk 
• Fairtrade changes the way trade works through better prices, decent working conditions, and a fairer deal for farmers and workers in low-income countries. Visit: fairtrade.org.uk  
• The full open letter will be available on Fairtrade Foundation’s website: UKFRC: UK Forest Risk Commodities 
• The UK Government Consultation on UKFRC will launch on 11 November 2026 and will be open until 17 January 2027. More details here: The UK’s approach to deforestation regulations - GOV.UK