The European Commission is proposing a regulation on deforestation-free beef imports to minimize the consumption of products from supply chains associated with deforestation or forest degradation. The commission said in its proposal that the main driver of deforestation and forest degradation is the expansion of agricultural land to produce commodities such as cattle, wood, palm oil, soy, cocoa or coffee.
The commission pointed to livestock production in particular as one of the main demand drivers for ag land, putting pressure on forests. “The objective of this initiative is therefore to curb deforestation and forest degradation that is provoked by EU (European Union) consumption and production,” the proposal read. “This, in turn, is expected to reduce GHG emissions and global biodiversity loss.”
The proposal would require companies to prove their global supply chains are not contributing to the destruction of forests, and failure to do so could result in fines of up to 4 percent of a company’s turnover in an EU country. The regulation would set mandatory due diligence rules for importers of beef into the EU, as well as other products such as leather, wood, chocolate and furniture.
“The deforestation and waste shipment regulations we are putting on the table are the most ambitious legislative attempts to tackle these issues worldwide ever,” said Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevi?ius. “With these proposals, we are taking our responsibility and walking the talk by lowering our global impact on pollution and biodiversity loss.”
The commission would use a benchmarking system to assess countries and their level of risk of deforestation and forest degradation driven by the commodities exported.
“By promoting the consumption of ‘deforestation-free’ products and reducing the EU’s impact on global deforestation and forest degradation, the new rules are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss,” a European Commission statement read.
If the law is approved by EU governments and the European Parliament, companies will also have to show that their commodities were not grown on any land deforested or degraded after Dec. 31, 2020, even if it is legal to produce there. The commission hopes the law will be passed by 2023. — Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
