The European Commission moved to postpone a landmark law to tackle global deforestation, submitting to immense pressure from commodity-producing countries and industry.
The commission suggested a 12-month delay to rules aimed at curbing forest clearance in nations that send products such as coffee, cocoa, soy and beef to the bloc, it said Wednesday, confirming an earlier Bloomberg report. Global agricultural heavyweights from Brazil to Indonesia had fiercely criticized the plans on concern they’d hurt smallholder farmers and curtail key exports.
A delay would mark a fresh setback to the European Union’s green push. But it could offer a temporary reprieve for consumers just as extreme weather pushes up crop prices worldwide and revives worries about food inflation.
he extension would allow extra time for parties to get ready, but “in no way puts into question” the objectives of the law, the commission said in a statement. The proposal will need signoff from both the European Parliament and member states, as the regulation was slated to take effect Dec. 30.
“The commission recognizes that three months ahead of the intended implementation date, several global partners have repeatedly expressed concerns about their state of preparedness,” it said. “The state of preparations amongst stakeholders in Europe is also uneven.”
The bloc recently lost its greenest parliament ever, and governments across the continent have faced pressure to soften their environmental ambitions on cost concerns. Member states and industry groups have voiced alarm over the deforestation regulation, warning of impending supply disruptions and inflation.
The rules necessitate complex tracking systems, with importers required to collect precise data to identify the plots of land where the goods were grown. Companies must ensure the products they bring in weren’t made on areas deforested or degraded after 2020.
German farmers’ group DBV welcomed the move to delay.
“The uncertainties caused must now be a reason to fundamentally simplify the regulation again and not to impose additional bureaucracy on countries with effective forest p ..
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