EU environment ministers have essentially reiterated their proposal to ban the import of soybeans, beef, palm oil, timber, cocoa and coffee, if their production comes from areas that have been deforested since December 2020.
The 27 agreed today to ban the EU from marketing six products, such as soy, as they contribute to deforestation, but without including rubber or other endangered ecosystems, much to the displeasure of environmental NGOs.
EU environment ministers meeting in Luxembourg have effectively reiterated a proposal made by the European Commission in mid-November to ban the import of soybeans, beef, palm oil, timber, cocoa and coffee if their production comes from deforested areas. of 2020.
The compromise adopted by the Member States, which will be discussed with MEPs, includes these six raw materials by adding certain by-products (leather, chocolate, furniture …) and sets out the requirements for feeding cattle in farms. .
Consumption in Europe accounts for 16% of deforestation through imports, making the EU the second largest destroyer of tropical forests, after China and ahead of India and the US.
The text includes deforestation, but also the “deterioration (of the state) of forests”: “structural changes in the form of a transformation of primary forests”, the definition of which has provoked intense debate.
In practice, import companies will be responsible for their supply chain, with traceability being possible through crop geolocation data and satellite imagery, which will create a database accessible to the authorities.
The required degree of verification will be based on the “high, normal and low” risk of the region of origin, according to the compromise worked out by France, which holds the rotating EU presidency until the end of June.
The original proposal was also “significantly strengthened” in terms of taking into account the human rights and interests of indigenous peoples and small producers, “according to Paris.
This text “allows us to reduce the EU environmental footprint”, said the French Minister of Energy Transfer Anne Panier-Rinasser, welcoming, in particular, welcoming a “reduction of (administrative) burdens for companies as well as for the authorities.
Small operators will be able to invite larger companies to prepare their own “due diligence statements”.
Environmental groups today denounced the “gaps” in the agreement, which does not include some basic products (corn, rubber, pork and poultry) or other ecosystems whose forests (wetlands, savannas, plains) of Argentina … are also degraded by intensive agriculture).
Global Witness regrets a “missed opportunity” mainly because the mechanism does not cover deforestation funding from EU banks.
The NGO Fern welcomed the reference to the rights of indigenous peoples “on paper”, fearing, however, that this protection was “not observed” due to a lack of adequate controls.
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