NGOs and industry share worries over EU anti-deforestation law

The looming implementation of an EU law aimed at making European supply chains deforestation-free has united industry, traders, farmers, and NGOs in concern.

Repeated delays from the European Commission in releasing enforcement guidelines for the new EU anti-deforestation rules (EUDR), just five months before they kick in, are causing worry across the agri-food sector and among environmental and human rights advocates.

The law affects commodities widely consumed in the EU, including cocoa, coffee, cattle, soy, and palm oil, impacting numerous importers, processors, retailers, and farmers globally.

Fears that small farmers in developing countries will be disproportionately affected have led the Global Coffee Platform (GCP), which includes organisations such as the Rainforest Alliance, Slow Food, Heifer International, the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery, and Solidaridad Network, to urge the Commission to address outstanding issues in the law’s implementation.

The GCP endorsed a letter sent to the Commission on 26 July, also signed by organisations representing coffee growers around the world and the European Coffee Federation, which includes small and medium-sized processors as well as large companies such as Nestlé and Starbucks.

The stakeholder coalition urged the Commission to address their concerns by October.

“Our efforts to comply with the EUDR have revealed critical issues that threaten our ability to meet the regulation’s objectives without unintended consequences for smallholder coffee farmers and smaller companies,” the letter said.

A sluggish reaction

The rules require companies to trace their products back to the farm and provide geo-location coordinates, proving that forests were not cleared before December 2020.

The task will burden not only European importers and traders but also farmers, who need to quickly adapt to the new bureaucratic requirements.

However, the Commission has yet to publish the necessary guidelines, which were expected in the spring.

In the letter, seen by Euractiv, the coffee value chain is calling for an improved IT platform to upload the required geo-location coordinates, the publication of a benchmarking that ranks countries according to their risk of deforestation, and guidelines on protecting farmers’ data.

They also pressed the Commission on the release of the guidance document and updated FAQs to address issues raised by affected sectors.

Miguel Gamboa, Rainforest Alliance’s coffee sector lead, told Euractiv that the organisation “actively supports” the EUDR but noted that remaining concerns must be addressed to avoid negative impacts on farmers.

“Many smallholder coffee farmers need support to align with the requirements, including traceability, deforestation risk mapping, local laws, and practical and technical guidance on key environmental practices,” Gamboa added.

Mounting pressure

Letters and calls from stakeholders, lawmakers, and EU governments to delay the EUDR implementation have been pouring into the Commission’s inbox in recent months.

On 25 July, EU retail group EuroCommerce wrote to the Commission president expressing “deep concern” and calling for an additional six-month transition period for companies after the IT tools and benchmarking are ready.

“Retailers and wholesalers are particularly affected (…) due to the broad range of products they sell, involving thousands of direct suppliers, with tens of thousands of upstream suppliers, the majority of which are SMEs,” EuroCommerce said in a press release.

“The many questions we have shared with the Commission during the past year have so far remained unanswered,” they added.

Farmers from EU trading partners, such as the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), also called for a delay in a letter sent to the Commission on 27 July and seen by Euractiv, citing a lack of adequate information on EUDR.

CFAN highlighted the “imminent negative impact” on farmers’ livelihoods if the date is not postponed, noting that farmers have been “hampered” by the lack of adequate information on EUDR.

MEPs have asked about the enforcement of EUDR, but the Commission’s response on 23 July remained vague, confirming only that work is “underway” and reiterating support through “FAQs” – which have not been updated since December 2023 – and the “forthcoming guidance document”.

In its political priorities for the 2024-2029 term, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), the political family of  Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, promised to delay the implementation of the rules.

Prominent Green MEP Thomas Waitz recently told Euractiv that he could “understand” a slight delay in the implementation of the rules in order to give certainty to national administrations and businesses.

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]

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