A new study has shown that consumers in the EU are a major market for products from illegally deforested areas. It is estimated that consumers spend 6 billion euros a year on products such as beef and soy that are produced in forests that have been felled illegally.
The figure represents 25% of global trade in agricultural products produced on illegally deforested areas. Five countries dominate the illegal trade in Europe; UK, Italy, Netherlands, Germany and France.
The report, Stolen Goods: the EU’s complicity in illegal tropical deforestation, was produced by Brussels based NGO Fern.
The report highlights that:
25% of imported soy comes from illegally cleared forests,
18% of imported palm oil comes from illegally cleared forests,
15% of imported beef comes from illegally cleared forests and
31% of leather imports originate from illegally cleared forests.
“It is well documented that the EU has been leading the world in imports of products which drive deforestation, but this is the first time that we have data showing that much of this deforestation is also illegal,” said Saskia Ozinga, Campaigns Coordinator at Fern.
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