Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen correspondent: US vetoes UNSC draft resolution that would have demanded ceasefire in Gaza, lifting of restrictions on aid.
Reports of explosions at Hama military airport in Syria
Shamkhani to Al Mayadeen: There is no mention of lifting sanctions in the latest US proposal, even though this issue is fundamental for Iran
Ali Shamkhani, political advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic of Iran, to Al Mayadeen: After receiving the American proposal, we are now preparing our new proposal
Shamkhani to Al Mayadeen: Iran will never give up its inherent rights
Iranian Defense Minister to Al Mayadeen: Israeli threats to Iran are just pointless nonsense
Iranian Defense Minister to Al Mayadeen: Those who actually possess the power and ability to threaten Iran do not speak as such; they are simply incapable of doing so
Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh to Al Mayadeen: Iran possesses enough power to render 'Israel' incapable of threatening it
Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem after meeting with Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi emphasized the importance of Iran’s positive role in the region and its support for the Palestinian Resistance and its people
Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi after meeting with Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem: Iran is keen to assist Lebanon and stand by its side economically and politically, on the basis of mutual respect

UK CPTPP membership to result in more deforestation

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 4 Apr 2023 11:12
3 Min Read

Environmental organizations are voicing worries about the Pacific trade agreement's effects when the UK agreed to remove European tariffs on palm oil as a requirement for joining the deal.

  • x
  • An aerial photo of a palm oil plantation in Batanghari, Jambi province, Sumatra Island, Indonesia November 28, 2018. (REUTERS)
    An aerial photo of a palm oil plantation in Batanghari, Jambi province, Sumatra Island, Indonesia November 28, 2018 (Reuters)

Campaigners say the UK's membership in a Pacific trade agreement will worsen global deforestation, threaten animal welfare, and "make a mockery" of the government's climate goals.

Late last week, ministers approved the UK's entry into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), an association of 11 countries that includes Japan, Canada, Australia, and Mexico.

According to the government, joining the EU would boost the UK's economy by roughly £1.8 billion annually and open up markets for different goods.

Environmental organizations, meanwhile, have voiced worries about the trade agreement's effects when the UK agreed to remove European tariffs on palm oil as a requirement for joining the Pacific deal.

Last week, Kemi Badenoch, the trade secretary, said as quoted by Sky News that “you have to make trade-offs” in signing trade deals and that palm oil was “a great product” and “not some illegal substance."

She added, “There are other crops in the EU that are causing deforestation that fit within EU rules.” 

Related News

'Israel' turns Gaza to rubble, planet Earth pays deadly carbon price

Glacier melt due to climate change could erase 40% globally

Environmental and animal welfare organizations were outraged by the comments, and they warned that the agreement would encourage deforestation abroad, particularly in south-east Asia, and could open the door for the importation of cheap, subpar meat produced in ways that would be against the law in the relevant countries.

Malaysian palm oil production is especially concerning because tariffs, which are currently 12%, will be lifted and imports could rise, even from deforested regions.

According to years of research by conservation organizations, palm oil is strongly linked to deforestation, the destruction of habitats for endangered species like the orangutan, and deadly forest fires.

The UK government led a global movement to stop deforestation at the COP26 summit in Glasgow in 2021. Ministers have also introduced new regulations to stop products from deforested regions from being sold in the UK.

The RSPCA claims that animal welfare would also be compromised. Several CPTPP members employ production techniques that are prohibited in the UK, such as sow stalls, battery eggs, antibiotic use, hormone treatment, and the use of pesticides.

According to the organization, there are no specific references to animal welfare requirements in the formal rules of the trading bloc, and it is concerned that UK consumers may unknowingly purchase items made using these techniques.

A spokesperson for the Department of Business and Trade said, as quoted by the Guardian, “The UK is committed to tackling illegal deforestation within our supply chains, and our agreement to join CPTPP does not change that. We will always support the sustainable production of palm oil, and at accession we will publish a joint statement with Malaysia to protect forests. Existing UK tariffs on Malaysian palm oil are already low, and the UK accounted for around 1% of Malaysia’s global palm oil exports last year, with deforestation related to palm oil in Malaysia falling 60% since 2012.”

Read next: Indonesia, Malaysia to defend palm oil from EU 'discriminatory' ban

  • Climate change
  • Oil Production
  • Pacific trade deal
  • UK

Most Read

Lebanon's PM Nawaf Salam meets with US envoy Morgan Ortagus in Beirut on April 5, 2025 (Dalati Nohra via AP)AP)

Morgan Ortagus to exit US role in Lebanon amid policy shift

  • Politics
  • 1 Jun 2025
Spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announces a new operation against Ben Gurion Airport on May 29, 2025 (Yemeni Military Media)

Yemen announces successful hypersonic missile strike on Ben Gurion

  • Politics
  • 30 May 2025
It may well be due to the longstanding relationship between MI6 and HTS, via Inter Mediate, that Britain was the first Western country to recognise their assumption of government in Syria. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab El-Hajj)

How MI6 helped HTS seize Syria

  • Opinion
  • 31 May 2025
An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 29, 2025 (AP)

Hamas rejects Witkoff ceasefire plan, says alters terms

  • Politics
  • 29 May 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Patrice Lumumba: The national hero of the DR Congo
Politics

Patrice Lumumba: The national hero of the DR Congo

A Palestinian woman mourns as she embraces the body of her daughter Mayar Abu Odeh, 8, who was killed in an Israeli army strike on Gaza. at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP)
Politics

French port workers block arms shipment to 'Israel' amid Gaza genocide

AP
Politics

Shas party backs Knesset dissolution, Netanyahu's coalition at risk

The head of the Council of Ministers, Dr. Nawaf Salam, received a delegation from the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc at the Grand Serail.  (@grandserail)
Politics

Hezbollah bloc, PM Salam discuss reconstruction, national unity

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS