EU Poised to Delay Anti-Deforestation Law by a Year

A deforested area close to Sinop, Mato Grosso State, Brazil, on Aug. 7, 2020. Florian Plaucheur/AFP via Getty Images

The European Commission has proposed delaying by one year the implementation of a law banning the import of commodities linked to deforestation following industry pressure.

Set to take effect on Dec. 30, the EU Deforestation Regulation will require companies importing products such as soy, beef, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, timber, and rubber to prove that their supply chains did not contribute to deforestation, or face hefty fines.

The EU says the legislation is “a key building block” in its climate-action agenda and efforts to address biodiversity loss, but critics within the industry argue that it will disrupt supply chains. Some ecologists also warn that the legislation may do more harm to biodiversity than it intends to solve.

On Oct. 2, the European Commission said that it had responded to calls by global partners by proposing an extra 12 months of phasing-in time; however, this would need approval from both the European Parliament and member states.

Bureaucracy

Under the law, companies will be required to submit due diligence statements electronically to the deforestation registry created by the European Commission, where they will be verified.

Companies say this will mean they will be required to digitally map their supply chains via satellite down to the exact plots where their raw materials grow, even on small and remote farms.

Herbert Dorfmann and Peter Liese, members of the European Parliament and spokesmen for the EPP Group on the Agriculture and Environment committees, voiced their concerns last month.

“Farmers, retailers, small and large businesses and Member State governments are deeply concerned about the jungle of implementing rules that will apply to several production sectors,” they said in a statement.

“The bureaucratic monster threatens the supply of animal feed and the trade of many consumer goods. The Commission must take enough time to fix the many problems with the legislation.”

‘Paralyzing Uncertainties’

In March, 20 of the EU’s 27 member states urged Brussels to scale back or possibly suspend the law, arguing that it could harm the bloc’s own farmers, who would be banned from exporting products grown on deforested land.

Brazil, Australia, and the United States have asked the EU to hold off.

Additionally, 29 European associations across a range of industries including farming, media, meat traders, packaging, and timber, recently said they face “paralyzing uncertainties.”

Farming body Copa-Cogeca and meat industry organization the European Livestock and Meat Trading Union said on Sept. 26 that they recognized “the importance of global forests to combat climate change, preserve biodiversity and secure sustainable raw materials and supply chains.”

However, they said the December 2024 date was “simply unfeasible and would result in many small businesses being wiped out of the market and job losses in rural areas.”

“Already now, companies are facing paralyzing uncertainties when negotiating contracts for next year. In consequence, serious market disruptions can be expected, which would severely harm European primary producers and downstream industries,” they said.

Ancient Ecosystems

While the legislation aims to prevent biodiversity loss, some ecologists argue that preventative measures could negatively affect ancient ecosystems.

Environmentalist and conservationist Pablo Manzano told The Epoch Times: “While the intention of the law is good, it has a lot of nuances that can be negative, especially if areas that are considered natural forests are actually not.

“There’s a concern that this and other legislation may do more harm to biodiversity than they intend to solve. Simplistic policies fail to differentiate between ecosystem types.”

Manzano pointed out that in southern Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state, the government’s “problematic” decision to protect areas without grazing has led to a drop in biodiversity.

“All the ecological functionality is lost when shrubs and trees invade areas where they shouldn’t be, places they haven’t existed for at least 3 million years, if not longer,” he said.

Reflecting on the potential dangers of the law, Manzano said, “I see that with the direction they’re taking with such a simplistic interpretation, this can really happen, and it’s a danger.”

He said that the systems and farmers most affected by the legislation possess deep knowledge of their ecosystems and animal management.

“If you damage those systems, you may later not be able to recover,” Manzano said.

An EU Commission spokesman told The Epoch Times by email that “the EU Deforestation Regulation was prepared following a thorough impact assessment.”

Reuters contributed to this report.