Coffee importers speed up shipments before EU deforestation law, says ICO

Agencies

A forest being erased to give way for plantation agriculture (Internet photo).

LONDON, May 24, 2024 - Coffee importers have increased the pace of shipments recently, seeking to escape problems after December when the European Union's Regulation on Deforestation Free Products [EUDR] enters into force, said the International Coffee Organisation [ICO] on Wednesday.

ICO Executive Director Vanusia Nogueira said coffee stocks in producing countries are falling as importers rush to send the beans to countries in Europe, ahead of the new legislation that will deny entrance of agricultural products produced on deforested land.

"Importers are speeding up shipments because there are questions about the law that the Europeans didn't answer yet," said Nogueira on the sidelines of the International Coffee Seminar 2024 in Santos, Brazil.

"And who knows if we are going to have surprises?" she said.

The European Union is the largest market for coffee in the world, while the beans are produced in tropical countries.

Nogueira said there is an expectation that the European Union would give an exemption on compliance during a certain period until producing countries and traders are ready to work with the new legislation, but that is not certain.

She said countries such as Brazil, Colombia and Costa Rica are more prepared to work with the EUDR, which requires certification that the coffee was not produced in deforested land, while small farmers in African countries would face more difficulties.

On 29 June 2023, the Regulation on deforestation-free products entered into force. The main driver of these processes is the expansion of agricultural land that is linked to the production of commodities like cattle, wood, cocoa, soy, palm oil, coffee, rubber, and some of their derived products, such as leather, chocolate, tyres, or furniture. As a major economy and consumer of these commodities linked to deforestation and forest degradation, the EU is partly responsible for this problem and it wants to lead the way to solving it.

Under the Regulation, any operator or trader who places these commodities on the EU market, or exports from it, must be able to prove that the products do not originate from recently deforested land or have contributed to forest degradation.

The Regulation on deforestation-free products repeals the EU Timber Regulation. As of 29 June 2023, operators and traders will have 18 months to implement the new rules. Micro and small enterprises will enjoy a longer adaptation period, as well as other specific provisions.

By promoting the consumption of ‘deforestation-free’ products and reducing the EU’s impact on global deforestation and forest degradation, the new Regulation [EU] 2023/1115 on deforestation-free products is expected to bring down greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss.

The Regulation is part of a broader plan of actions to tackle deforestation and forest degradation first outlined in the 2019 Commission Communication on Stepping up EU Action to Protect and Restore the World’s Forests. This commitment was later confirmed by the European Green Deal, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the Farm to Fork Strategy.

Additional reporting by theCooperator News

https://thecooperator.news/eu-backtracks-on-stricter-import-rules-amid-international-backlash/

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