UK's Post-Brexit Environmental Standards Fall Behind EU's

Divergence in regulations allows use of toxic chemicals and harmful pesticides, slows greenhouse gas reduction, and contributes to deforestation.

UK's divergence from EU environmental standards since Brexit has led to a regression in environmental legislation in Britain, with changes and planned divergences allowing toxic chemicals banned in the EU to be used in the UK, slower reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, dirtier waters, and consumer products more likely to contribute to global deforestation.
The UK has not banned 36 harmful pesticides that have been proscribed for use in the EU, including thiamethoxam, a neonicotinoid highly toxic to bees and can remain in the soil long after treated seeds are planted.
The EU has implemented a tariff on high-CO2 products, known as a carbon border adjustment mechanism, to lower the bloc’s emissions, while the UK’s scheme, criticized as more lax, will not start until 2027 at the earliest.
The EU has legislated to remove deforestation from its supply chain for products including wood, rubber, beef, leather, cocoa, coffee, palm oil and soy, while the UK’s recently announced scheme applies only to illegal deforestation, and leaves out some popular products including coffee.
The UK has implemented the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act to improve efficiency for farmers, to grow plants and breed animals that yield more profit, while the EU has no such act and has tighter restrictions around genetically modified goods.