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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (a) what estimate she has made of the proportion of charcoal imported into Great Britain since 2021 that was produced on land deforested after 31 December 2020, and (b) what data her Department holds on charcoal imports from the Gran Chaco region of Paraguay.

The Government is strengthening its approach to tackling deforestation in UK supply chains. As wood is one of the commodities intended to be covered by the proposed measures, the Government is considering the treatment of specific wood-based products, including charcoal, as policy development continues and ahead of consultation.

The Department is aware of recent reports linking charcoal sold in the UK to deforestation in the Gran Chaco region of Paraguay. The approach to defining the specific products in scope will be set out in Government's consultation for stakeholder feedback. We will seek views from businesses, civil society and international partners on our proposed policy.