Heated debates about the EUDR are missing the bigger picture
18 September 2024
The backlash against the EU Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) is continuing into autumn. Several vocal EU Member States, highly forested countries, and the director of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have insisted that the EUDR’s application be delayed. Some industries are demanding that its obligations be watered down, despite many of their objections not holding true.
Lost in the increasingly heated debate is why the EU was compelled to act: the urgent need to address one of the greatest environmental challenges of our age - forest destruction driven by agricultural production.
In 2023, the world lost an area of forest almost as big as Switzerland; the Amazon is currently ablaze; and South America is surpassing its record for fires.
Deforestation is a deep-seated, complex problem, and eliminating it presents real challenges. The tensions around the looming application of the EUDR confirm this. They also hint at the fact that the law could actually make a difference.
Current media stories sparsely mention the tremendous effort already undertaken by governments and responsible industries to prepare for EUDR implementation. In early September, Fern and Mighty Earth organised a webinar that provided many examples.
A representative from Ghana presented the new national cocoa traceability system specifically designed to comply with the EUDR and to ensure that smallholders are integrated into the market, reducing their compliance costs and improving their competitiveness. Côte d’Ivoire has taken similar steps (FW 296), distributing ID cards to farmers that allow them to access e-payments, and to increase traceability.
Despite normally being one of the voices of dissent, a director in Brazil’s Environment Ministry has said that they are implementing better monitoring and transparency systems, and some Brazilian States are devising systems to track farm activities.
From the day the groundbreaking law was voted on, Fern has acknowledged that it was imperfect: back then, we concluded that the EU lawmakers had “prioritised trees over people” and that the EUDR lacked important elements to safeguard land rights and support smallholders (ironically, such key provisions were struck down by Conservative lawmakers – the same who now arguing that it would disproportionally affect European small-scale farmers).
Fern also emphasised the EU’s lack of vision and development of partnerships with producer countries, which need to be at the heart of the EUDR.
The EU, Indonesia and Malaysia have set up a Joint Task Force on EUDR implementation. They met again during the week of 9 September, after Indonesia representatives warned of looming implementation “chaos” and demanded a delay in EUDR implementation. This Task Force could be the beginning of a strategic partnership, but doesn’t presently allow for participation of NGOs, Indigenous Peoples or smallholder organisations, and does not have the right people at the table. The meeting therefore did not lead to any concrete results and mainly showed the lack of cooperation and understanding between the parties.
The debate on delaying the law carries the serious danger of distracting from the urgent need to fight deforestation. The EU must now focus in earnest on developing inclusive partnerships with producer countries on effective implementation, including providing support to independent smallholders.
Kategorien: News, Forest Watch, EU Regulation on deforestation-free products
