New Great Britain deforestation rules announced by the UK government on 23 June are set to place mandatory due diligence requirements on large coffee businesses using forest-risk commodities in the British market, adding another layer of compliance alongside impending European Union deforestation regulations.
Under the proposed regime, businesses in Great Britain with an annual turnover above £1 million that use forest-risk commodities such as coffee, cocoa, palm oil, soy, cattle, rubber and wood will be required to carry out due diligence on their supply chains, according to a UK government approach document published on GOV.UK and summarised in an announcement during London Climate Action Week. The rules are designed to address the UK’s consumption-linked deforestation, which the Joint Nature Conservation Committee estimates reached approximately 29,000 hectares in 2023 (JNCC – UKBI Global Biodiversity Impact, 23 June 2026).
The UK is a notable coffee importer: the country brought in 2.4 million 60-kilogram bags of green coffee in the 2024/25 market year, equivalent to roughly 10% of U.S. green coffee imports by volume, according to Daily Coffee News reporting based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (23 June 2026). At the same time, only 47% of the world’s most well-known coffee companies have publicly available deforestation-free commitments for coffee, a figure drawn from the April 2026 Forest 500 report and cited by Daily Coffee News.
Presenting the new Great Britain rules, Nature Minister Mary Creagh said, “Tackling global deforestation is one of the most effective ways we can address climate change and protect some of the world’s most unique and precious wildlife,” according to the official government news release on 23 June 2026. She added that the UK is “leading by example and scrutinising our own supply chains,” arguing that eliminating products linked to illegal deforestation is positive for resilience and long-term prosperity.
The measures arrive as the UK seeks to position itself within a tightening European regulatory landscape. The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will apply in Northern Ireland from 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators, with a later compliance deadline of 30 June 2027 for micro and small operators dealing in non-wood products, according to the UK government’s approach document and supporting guidance. That same document states that the UK is classed as a low-risk country under the EUDR, which enables simplified due diligence for goods produced in Great Britain and exported to the European Union and Northern Ireland.
For coffee companies trading into Great Britain, the announcement sets a direction but not yet a full rulebook. The government has confirmed that it will launch a public consultation on the details of the Great Britain deforestation policy later in 2026, and no enforcement date has been set, according to the 23 June government news and follow-up reporting by Daily Coffee News. The government has also stated that its long-term ambition is to move beyond an “illegal-only” approach to a fully deforestation-free standard, although no timeline has been provided, as reported by both the government and a coalition of non-governmental organisations.
The environmental stakes behind the new rules extend well beyond coffee, but include the sector. The UK’s 2023 consumption of forest-risk commodities was linked to about 9.4 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions associated with deforestation, including peat drainage, according to an estimate from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs cited by the Environmental Investigation Agency on 23 June 2026. A separate Daily Coffee News report, citing scientific research, notes that coffee currently accounts for around 1% of agriculture-driven deforestation globally.
Non-governmental organisations have welcomed movement on the UK’s deforestation footprint while pressing for stronger implementation. Reacting to the announcement, Vanessa Richardson, Forests Advocacy and Policy Campaign Lead at EIA, said the UK’s own national security assessment characterises deforestation as a direct threat to the country’s economic stability and food security. She described the government’s step as “welcome” after “years of delay” but argued that addressing the scale of risk requires “robust mandatory regulation, underpinned by full supply chain traceability and enforcement that is properly resourced to be effective,” according to the EIA’s 23 June 2026 statement.
Alongside regulatory design, financing of deforestation remains an unresolved issue in the UK framework. A review into the financial sector’s role in deforestation, mandated for HM Treasury in 2023, had not yet commenced by June 2026, according to a briefing from an NGO Forest Coalition, even as that coalition highlights the UK’s status as a major financial centre and calls for rules on financial institutions that fund deforestation.
The government’s own reporting shows that the UK’s overall deforestation footprint from its consumption of forest-risk commodities has declined over time, from an estimated 65,000 hectares in 2005 to 48,000 hectares in 2018, and 29,000 hectares in 2023, according to JNCC highlights published on 23 June 2026. How much of that footprint is linked specifically to coffee is not quantified in the available documents, but for coffee companies trading with or through the UK, the combination of proposed Great Britain rules and firm EUDR dates in Northern Ireland signals a growing expectation that forest-risk supply chains will be documented and demonstrably lower impact.
