A coalition of European Union (EU) countries, spearheaded by Austria, is pushing for urgent amendments to the EU's upcoming anti-deforestation law. Scheduled to take effect at the end of the year, the law aims to eliminate deforestation from supply chains related to beef, soy, and other agricultural products consumed in Europe.
While the legislation is designed to ensure that European consumers do not indirectly contribute to the destruction of global forests from regions like the Amazon to Southeast Asia, the proposed revisions raise concerns among European farmers. Under the current rules, farmers would be prohibited from exporting products grown on deforested or degraded woodlands.
\"The agreed overall objective of tackling deforestation in third countries must not be to the detriment of the European economy, in particular the European agriculture and forestry sector,\" stated the document reviewed by Reuters. This call for change is supported by Finland, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.
In recent weeks, EU leaders have softened several environmental policies in response to prolonged protests by farmers who argue that the bloc's green initiatives are overly stringent. The upcoming meeting in Brussels on Tuesday will see agriculture ministers discuss the proposed revisions.
The document suggests that producers in low-risk nations—a category likely encompassing many EU members—should be exempt from the anti-deforestation requirements. Additionally, it advocates for a substantial reduction in the burden of certifying products as deforestation-free within the EU.
Under the current law, farmers transitioning from conventional to organic farming methods may face the need to expand their agricultural land, yet such expansion would be discouraged in forest-rich EU countries. Furthermore, the EU's information system for tracking compliance is reportedly not prepared for implementation by the December 30 deadline.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
