Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure that her policies protect biodiversity.
HM Government is clear that more trade does not have to come at the expense of the environment. We are committed to supporting the UK’s climate and environmental objectives, including the protection of biodiversity.
HM Government has underscored the environment as one of the three priorities for UK leadership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and we are exploring all options in the design of future trade and investment agreements to ensure we uphold the UK’s high environmental standards.
We are also working to build a coalition of countries committed to sustainable trade to help limit deforestation, as part of the UK’s COP26 Presidency, and to consider other measures to support biodiversity and sustainable supply chains, particularly for forest-risk commodities.