Producers from Malaysia’s palm oil industry to Vietnam’s coffee sector on Thursday welcomed the European Union’s decision to delay the implementation of its anti-deforestation rules.
The one-year delay drew an immediate outcry from environmental groups, but the legislation had faced substantial pushback from many governments and industries.
They criticized the law, which was intended to prevent imports of products that lead to deforestation, for confusing rules and complicated documentation requirements that they said would particularly burden small-scale farmers.
The EU’s decision to delay was a relief, said Trinh Duc Minh, president of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association.
“Extending the timetable is necessary and logical,” he told AFP, although he noted that coffee prices had risen as companies that had stockpiled ahead of the deadline may now reduce.
Nguyen Xuan Loi, head of Vietnamese coffee exporter An Thai Group, also hailed the news as a “positive move”.
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“In fact, Vietnam strictly manages deforestation issues,” he told AFP.
“There are almost no violations anymore.”
Global Forest Watch says Vietnam’s primary forest loss has slowed since a peak in 2016, but the country still stands to lose about 16,500 hectares in 2023, with commodity deforestation the main cause.
EU imports accounted for 16% of deforestation linked to global trade in 2017, according to WWF.
When the law was passed in 2023, it was hailed as a breakthrough for nature and climate protection.
It requires exporters of cocoa, soybeans, timber, cattle, palm oil, rubber, coffee — and items derived from those products — to certify that their products were not produced on land deforested after December 2020.
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Countries including Malaysia and Indonesia have strongly opposed the new rules and the chorus of criticism grew louder as the December implementation deadline approached, with Brazil and the United States among those expressing concern.
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Malaysia’s palm oil council hailed the proposed delay as a “victory for common sense”.
The decision is a “welcome relief to all those businesses that have highlighted the need for delay,” said the body’s head, Belvinder Kaur Sron.
“Malaysia has over the past two years consistently provided evidence … that the implementation date of 30 December 2024 was not achievable and the EU’s systems were not ready,” the council added in a statement.
He called on the EU to address outstanding requirements, including exemptions for smallholders, clear benchmarking criteria and acceptance of Malaysia’s sustainable palm oil standard.
In Indonesia, the country’s top oil palm association also welcomed the delay.
“Our calls have been heard,” said its president Eddie Martono, who also urged the EU to accept Indonesia’s sustainability standards and recognize its efforts against deforestation.
Palm oil is one of Indonesia’s top exports, but also a key driver of deforestation.
The country lost nearly 300,000 hectares of primary forest in 2023, an increase from the previous year, though still below the 2016 peak, according to Global Forest Watch.
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Indonesian environmentalists have warned that the EU’s delay is likely to mean more uncontrolled deforestation.
“We can’t imagine how much more clearing or deforestation a year’s delay could cause in West Kalimantan and other places like Papua,” said Uli Arta Siagian at the Indonesian environmental group WALHI.
Uli acknowledged challenges in implementing the rules, but said there was no guarantee that a one-year delay would fix them.
“It should have been implemented and then the EU could see what needs to be fixed,” he told AFP.
“For us, this decision is disappointing.”
Source: AFP