EU proposes to delay landmark anti-deforestation law by 12 months

Brussels/London | Reuters — The European Commission said on Wednesday it would propose to delay implementation of its flagship law banning the import of commodities linked to deforestation by a year, following calls from industries and governments around the world.

The law has been hailed as a landmark in the fight against climate change, but countries and industries from Brazil to Malaysia say it is protectionist and could end up excluding millions of poor, small-scale farmers from the EU market.

There were also widespread warnings from industry that the law would disrupt the European Union’s supply chains and push up prices.

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Some 20 of the EU’s 27 member states asked Brussels in March to scale back and possibly suspend the law, saying it would harm the bloc’s own farmers, who would be banned from exporting products grown on deforested land.

The proposal will need the approval of the European Parliament and member states, the Commission said. It added that it was also publishing additional guidance documents.

The guidance and proposed 12-month delay are aimed at “ensuring the success of the EUDR, which is paramount to address the EU’s contribution to the pressing global issue of deforestation”, the Commission said, adding that it was not questioning the objectives or the substance of the law.

EU leaders have watered down numerous environmental measures this year to try to quell months of farmers’ protests over issues including the bloc’s green policies and cheap imports.

The EU deforestation regulation (EUDR) would have, from Dec. 30, required companies importing soy, beef, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, timber, rubber and related products to prove their supply chains do not contribute to the destruction of the world’s forests, or face hefty fines.

Companies will have to digitally map their supply chains down to the plot where their raw materials were grown, even on small farms in remote, rural regions.

Critics say this is exceedingly complex in supply chains that span the globe and involve not just millions of farms but multiple intermediaries whose data is not easily verifiable.

Brussels argues that the law is necessary to end the bloc’s contribution to deforestation, the second leading cause of climate change after the burning of fossil

The EU is the world’s second largest contributor to deforestation through its imports, according to data from the WWF environmental campaign group.

— Reporting for Reuters by Bart Meijer and Maytaal Angel.