Mighty Earth Responds to EUDR Delay: “Delaying EUDR is like throwing a fire extinguisher out of the window of a burning building”
While the world looks on in horror at the unprecedented fires and flooding wreaking havoc across the world, Mighty Earth is aghast at the decision by European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, to shelve plans to enforce the EUDR on time.
Julian Oram, Senior Policy Director at Mighty Earth, said:
“Delaying the EUDR is like throwing a fire extinguisher out of the window of a burning building. It’s an act of Nature vandalism that will serve only to drive more industrial destruction of tropical forests, threatening the people and wildlife who depend on them, while pushing climate and nature goals out of reach.”
“This smacks of EC President Ursula von der Leyen kowtowing to agribusiness lobbyists acting in the interests of their worst members, who whine about not being able to comply in time. It also ignores the fact that thousands of companies have readied themselves by mapping their supply chains and doing their due diligence.”
“Shelving the one piece of legislation that would have a huge impact on tackling the climate and nature emergency is a betrayal of present and future generations of EU citizens and a decision that will come back to haunt Europe.”
Notes to editors:
- The EUDR was borne out of a lengthy process of scientific and economic evidence gathering, stakeholder consultations, and political negotiations. After an initial draft of the law was published by the Commission in December 2020, EU institutions took a further two years to agree on the final text, which was concluded in the December 2022 “Trialogue” between the Commission, European Parliament, and European Council (representing member states).
- The Regulation, which passed into law in June of 2023, mandates that products derived from beef, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, natural rubber, soy or wood must be “deforestation-free” and legally produced to be placed on the EU market.
- The legislation requires companies to geolocate the origin of the commodities in their goods, and to undertake due diligence to ensure that those products were not grown on land deforested after December 2020, or in illegal areas, such as inside national parks. It was due to start being enforced from December 30th 2024.
