Overseas area four times size of Wales used to produce goods for UK at risk of habitat destruction and human rights abuses, finds WWF

Soy used to feed livestock, palm oil, coffee and natural rubber are among the commodities most exposed to deforestation and nature impacts

Britain's demand for products including timber, chicken, coffee and pet food depends on an area of overseas land bigger than three-quarters of the UK, according to a new WWF report, with a sizeable proportion produced in countries with a high risk of deforestation, habitat destruction and human rights abuses. 

The report says the UK relies on an average of 19.3 million hectares of land overseas each year to supply just eight imported goods. The report, Beyond Risky Business, tracks the UK’s overseas land footprint for beef and leather, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, pulp and paper, rubber, soy and timber between 2011 and 2025. It found that while the UK’s total overseas land footprint has fallen by 7% since 2011, millions of hectares remain linked to countries where deforestation, destruction of natural ecosystems and human rights abuses are key risks.

WWF’s assessment found that, despite over a decade of corporate commitments and initiatives, 8.13 million hectares of the UK’s overseas land footprint - an area around four times the size of Wales - sits in countries assessed as high or very high risk for habitat destruction and human rights abuses. 

Earlier this week the government launched a welcome but long overdue consultation on tackling global deforestation through a legality based due diligence framework. Exactly five years after the Environment Act set out plans to tackle deforestation in UK supply chains, voluntary commitments have not delivered the scale and pace of change needed. With the EU Deforestation Regulation due to apply in the EU and Northern Ireland from December 2026, WWF says the UK must move quickly to introduce similar rules, which could help to cut costs for businesses and strengthening action to protect forests.   

The report found that timber and pulp and paper account for the largest land footprints, averaging 6.66 million hectares and 4.48 million hectares a year respectively. UK soy imports required an average of 2.11 million hectares of overseas land each year, roughly the size of the Scottish Highlands, rising to an estimated 2.8 million hectares in 2025. Soy is mainly used to feed livestock, including chickens and pigs, and is also fed to salmon. It is often grown in areas of former rainforest such as the Amazon and Brazil's Atlantic Forest.

The risk of deforestation is also embedded in supply chains which remain largely hidden from consumers. For example, Scottish salmon production uses around 42,300 tonnes of soy meal each year, while pet food consumed in the UK contains an estimated 461,000 tonnes of embedded soy annually. The largest hidden impact identified is poultry. Soy used in UK chicken and egg production requires an estimated 1.13 million hectares of land overseas and is associated with around 10.1 million tonnes of CO₂e annually.

While some companies have taken action to remove deforestation from their soy supply chains, weak traceability and certification gaps mean significant risks remain. WWF is calling on the UK Government to use forthcoming deforestation regulations to ensure products sold in the UK are not driving habitat destruction, while also protecting local communities who depend on forests for their livelihoods.

Dr Lilly Da Gama, WWF's Senior Policy Advisor on Supply Chains, said:  "The UK Government has warned that the collapse of tropical forests is a threat to Britain's food and national security. Yet these forests, home to iconic wildlife such as orangutans, are still being destroyed at an alarming rate.

"Just eight of the goods the UK imports are putting huge pressure on precious habitats thousands of miles from our shores. We risk a situation where British chicken, pork and salmon are coming at the expense of jaguars, toucans and sloths.

“With deforestation laws coming into force in the EU, the UK cannot afford to fall behind. The newly launched consultation on deforestation regulations must deliver ambitious, enforceable action, while ensuring producer countries and smallholder farmers can continue to trade and thrive without being driven towards deforestation or shut out of markets."

The analysis also warns that the UK’s imports are linked to an estimated 24.2 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from land-use change every year, the equivalent to around 7% of the UK’s annual territorial emissions. 

Tropical forests are vital for people and the planet, storing carbon, cleaning air and water, and supporting wildlife. They are home to more than 80% of land-based species and help provide food, medicine and livelihoods for billions of people worldwide. Yet the report says that more than 4.3 million hectares of primary tropical forest were lost in 2025, the equivalent to 11 football pitches every minute, while agricultural commodity production is estimated to drive around half of global forest loss and land conversion.