They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions and there is perhaps no better example of this than the European Union’s roundly criticized law banning the import of commodities linked with deforestation. No one likes the new measure scheduled to go into effect next year. Large corporations like Lavazza don’t like it for reasons that I’m sure are entirely altruistic and have nothing to do with their bottom line or having to reveal any unethical buying practices. And pro-farmer NGOs don’t like the law for the deleterious effect it may have on vulnerable farmers who don’t have the necessary infrastructure to show that their crops aren’t leading to deforestation.
Well intentioned though it may be, the EU’s law has faced nothing but resistance since their intentions to implement the measure were first announced back in 2021. And now, the International Coffee Organization (ICO)—the “world’s top coffee body”—are asking the EU to postpone the law.
Once the new law takes effect, imported commodities like chocolate, leather, beef, furniture, rubber, charcoal, palm oil derivatives, and coffee will have to provide proof they aren’t linked with deforestation in order to make it to Europe. Any company caught importing commodities without such proof face steep penalty, and there is even concern that coffee harvested before the requirement may have to be trashed.
As reported by Reuters, in response, the ICO is requesting for a stay on the new law in order to give their members more time to accommodate the new requirements. “We can’t meet that date, it is not possible,” states ICO director Vanusia Nogueira. “It’s a very ambitious deadline.”
The ICO, “a United Nations-linked intergovernmental group” that represents over 90% of the world’s coffee production is hoping instead that by working with the EU, they will be able to find a solution that doesn’t adversely effect the most vulnerable. “We believe that by working with (EU leaders), they might be more open to postponing that date,” Nogueira says.
Neither Nogueira nor the ICO have given any indication on the date they would like to see the implementation of the new law pushed back to.
The ICO joins the European Coffee Federation as well as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in asking for a postponement. There are currently less than 100 days until the law takes effect.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
