MEPs voted in favor of a new law to ban imports of products into the European Union, including beef and soybeans, which are associated with deforestation, on April 19, according to online publication Agriland.
The law means that companies will only be able to sell products in the EU if the supplier of the product has issued a “due diligence” statement confirming that the product is not associated with deforestation of land or has not resulted in forest degradation after December 31, 2020.
Companies will also need to demonstrate that their products comply with the laws of the country of manufacture, including human rights, and that the rights of affected Indigenous Peoples are respected. Products subject to the new legislation include cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soybeans and timber. The law also applies to goods that contain or have been made from the above products. It can be leather, chocolate, furniture, rubber and others.
The EU Parliament has also pushed for a broader definition of forest degradation that includes conversion of primary forest or naturally regenerating forest to plantation forest or other forest land. The new law means that the EU will classify counties, or parts of counties, as low, standard or high risk based on an assessment to be carried out within 18 months of the regulation taking effect.
Products from low-risk countries will be subject to a simplified selection process. The EU authorities will receive information from the companies, such as geolocation coordinates, and will carry out checks using satellite tracking tools and DNA tests to verify where the products come from. Companies that do not comply with the law will be fined at least 4% of their annual turnover in the EU.
The new law was adopted by the MEPs by 552 votes against 44 and 43 abstentions. Now the text of the regulation must be officially approved by the Council of the EU.
Following today’s vote, speaker Christoph Hansen said: “Until today, our supermarket shelves have too often been filled with products covered in the ashes of burned rainforests and irreversibly destroyed ecosystems that have destroyed the livelihoods of indigenous peoples. Too often this happened without the knowledge of consumers. I am delighted that European consumers can now be sure that they will no longer inadvertently participate in deforestation when they eat their chocolate bar or enjoy a well-deserved coffee.”.
Hansen is confident the new law will help “get out of the impasse that prevents us [Евросоюзу] deepen trade relations with countrieswhich “sharing environmental values and ambitions” block.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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