Latest news with #deforestation
Reuters
a day ago
- Business
- Reuters
Small Ivory Coast cocoa firms say EU deforestation rules might bankrupt them
ABIDJAN, July 24 (Reuters) - Small players in Ivory Coast's cocoa industry say they fear they will go out of business due to the cost of complying with new European Union regulations on the import of commodities linked to deforestation. The proposed law, which aims to end the estimated 10% of global deforestation fuelled by EU consumption, requires companies importing goods such as cocoa, soy, beef and coffee to prove their supply chains do not contribute to the destruction of the world's forests, or face hefty fines. In order to meet the regulations, Ivory Coast has opted for a digitalised sales and purchasing system to facilitate verification. However, cooperatives and small local exporters are concerned they will not be able to compete with Western multinational companies, which have better financial and human resources to handle the additional cost and workload. Two sources at Ivory Coast's Coffee and Cocoa Council regulator said around 900,000 out of 1 million cocoa farmers had already received their digital ID cards, which will also serve as bank cards. Under the new system, farmers will be paid via mobile money operators by exporters after buyers or cooperatives deliver their beans to ports - effectively cutting out the usual cash payments to middlemen. "With this card, the traceability of Ivorian cocoa is 100% guaranteed," one of the sources told Reuters, adding that all the data on farmers will be stored online. The second source said the new system, which was tested on a sample of producers, cooperatives and exporters, would be rolled out and become mandatory from October 1. The EU has delayed the launch of the law by a year, to December 2025, following complaints from trading partners, and cut back on reporting rules after industry criticism. "Compliance with the regulation requires investments that we cannot make," said the director of an Ivorian trading company who fears it could go bankrupt. The president of a cocoa export cooperative said multinationals planned to spend at least 200 CFA francs ($0.3604) per kilogram to comply with this regulation - a cost cooperatives are unable to bear. Cocoa players say the new rules might kill off vulnerable cooperatives or local exporters if Ivory Coast's government doesn't step in to protect them. "We are not opposed to traceability and sustainability. What we are criticizing is that the EU only protects its own industry and citizens, not those of other countries, and this regulation will kill local businesses," the director of an Ivorian export company told Reuters. "If we don't get help from the government, there won't be any cooperatives or local exporters left in two years," the director of another cocoa cooperative said. "We'll all disappear." The company leaders all declined to be identified to avoid the possibility of pressure or threats to their businesses. ($1 = 555.0000 CFA francs)
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
MPs urge ministers to introduce long-awaited rules on supply chain deforestation
MPs have called on ministers to introduce long-awaited rules aimed at removing products from UK shelves that have been farmed on land where trees were cut down. The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) wrote to Environment Secretary Steve Reed calling for urgent action to tackle the issue in supply chains. Under the previous Government's proposals, businesses will be prohibited from using or selling goods containing palm oil, cocoa, beef, leather and soy linked to deforestation. This due diligence system was part of the 2021 Environment Act but ministers are yet to bring forward the necessary secondary legislation or set a timetable for when they will do so. EAC chairman Toby Perkins asked Mr Reed to set out a specific date for introducing the legislation 'ideally before the New Year' so that the rules can be in place for the new financial year in April. The letter said: 'Delays in bringing forward this legislation makes the Cop15 agreement to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, and the UK's commitment to ending deforestation and forest degradation by 2030, harder to achieve. 'However, it also leaves businesses with uncertainty and will leave them with less time to prepare and comply with the regime. 'On 2 June, in your response to the Committee, you recognised the urgency of taking action to ensure forest risk commodities are not driving deforestation and stated you would set out the Government approach in due course.' Several British supermarkets recently warned that they are in 'limbo' waiting for the Government to introduce the new rules. In an open letter earlier this month, retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury's and Lidl said deforestation presents an increasing risk to supply chain stability as well as food security. But they also said the UK could suffer millions in export losses to the European Union if Government inaction leaves businesses unprepared to comply with the bloc's own deforestation rules, which are due to come into force at the end of this year. Asked recently whether the Government has a timetable for introducing the legislation, the Environment Secretary told the PA news agency: 'Currently no, but we are working at pace so we can do this as quickly as possible.' On the supermarkets' letter and whether the Government is looking to speed up progress on introducing the rules, Mr Reed said: 'Absolutely.' 'I agree with the supermarkets,' he said. 'The previous Government was just dragging their heels without ever coming to a conclusion about what we do about protecting forests in other countries as well as in our own country. 'And of course forests, trees, woodlands were very important for capturing carbon and cleaning the atmosphere so we don't want to be importing food that has been grown where the forests have been destroyed. 'The Government is working with supermarkets, with food producers and internationally to make sure we get the outcome and we can do that as soon as possible to give everybody certainty about how we move forward on this.' PA has contacted the Environment Department for comment.
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
MPs urge ministers to introduce long-awaited rules on supply chain deforestation
MPs have called on ministers to introduce long-awaited rules aimed at removing products from UK shelves that have been farmed on land where trees were cut down. The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) wrote to Environment Secretary Steve Reed calling for urgent action to tackle the issue in supply chains. Under the previous Government's proposals, businesses will be prohibited from using or selling goods containing palm oil, cocoa, beef, leather and soy linked to deforestation. This due diligence system was part of the 2021 Environment Act but ministers are yet to bring forward the necessary secondary legislation or set a timetable for when they will do so. EAC chairman Toby Perkins asked Mr Reed to set out a specific date for introducing the legislation 'ideally before the New Year' so that the rules can be in place for the new financial year in April. The letter said: 'Delays in bringing forward this legislation makes the Cop15 agreement to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, and the UK's commitment to ending deforestation and forest degradation by 2030, harder to achieve. 'However, it also leaves businesses with uncertainty and will leave them with less time to prepare and comply with the regime. 'On 2 June, in your response to the Committee, you recognised the urgency of taking action to ensure forest risk commodities are not driving deforestation and stated you would set out the Government approach in due course.' Several British supermarkets recently warned that they are in 'limbo' waiting for the Government to introduce the new rules. In an open letter earlier this month, retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury's and Lidl said deforestation presents an increasing risk to supply chain stability as well as food security. But they also said the UK could suffer millions in export losses to the European Union if Government inaction leaves businesses unprepared to comply with the bloc's own deforestation rules, which are due to come into force at the end of this year. Asked recently whether the Government has a timetable for introducing the legislation, the Environment Secretary told the PA news agency: 'Currently no, but we are working at pace so we can do this as quickly as possible.' On the supermarkets' letter and whether the Government is looking to speed up progress on introducing the rules, Mr Reed said: 'Absolutely.' 'I agree with the supermarkets,' he said. 'The previous Government was just dragging their heels without ever coming to a conclusion about what we do about protecting forests in other countries as well as in our own country. 'And of course forests, trees, woodlands were very important for capturing carbon and cleaning the atmosphere so we don't want to be importing food that has been grown where the forests have been destroyed. 'The Government is working with supermarkets, with food producers and internationally to make sure we get the outcome and we can do that as soon as possible to give everybody certainty about how we move forward on this.'
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
'I'm so very sorry this cost has been put upon you', minister tells beef exporters
NZ beef exporters will need to prove to the EU that their products have not come from land that was recently deforested. Photo:/File via CNN Newsource The agriculture minister has apologised to New Zealand's top beef exporters for extra costs they will likely face due to new anti-deforestation rules for European Union imports. Those sending agricultural products - like beef, leather or logs in New Zealand's case - will have to prove that their products have not come from land that was recently deforested . Despite fierce opposition from New Zealand industry groups and government officials, the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) appeared to be going ahead. From the end of the year, all exporters to the EU will be required to prove land used for forests has not been cut down for animals to graze on since 2020. The regulation was amended to exclude sheep products in 2022 and its implementation was delayed last year . But the beef, meat and wood processing sectors were preparing for the new incoming requirements . It was announced this week that the Meat Industry Association, Beef and Lamb New Zealand and an analytics firm were developing aerial and satellite-generated farm maps, in addition to compiling the movement of livestock. The New Zealand Deforestation Map initiative was to help the sector prepare the documents and data needed with each shipment of their products going to the EU from 31 December. The regulation was expected to affect $213 million in beef and leather exports to the EU and $100m of New Zealand wood products. Agricultural Minister Todd McClay. Photo: Neil Mackenzie Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Trade and Investment Todd McClay told the red meat sector conference in Ōtautahi/Christchurch on Tuesday that companies should get prepared for the incoming new rules. Agriculture Minister Todd McClay speaking at the Red Meat Sector Conference in Christchurch on Tuesday. Photo: RNZ/Monique Steele "Well done for preparing. I'm so very sorry this cost has been put upon you, because in my view it is unnecessary," he said. "Since we came to government, I have consistently said to the European Union we have standards, the equivalent to yours if not higher, so you should not be putting costs upon every single producer in New Zealand, and we have been looking for ways to find exemptions or to changes, or to get the cost down." McClay wrote to the European Commission last year, and said he met the European Commissioner in Brussels last month who suggested other countries were also trying for exemptions, like France. "You'd figure when the EU member states don't like something, perhaps there's a change coming," he said. But he said New Zealand already had native forest protection rules that resulted in penalties or prosecutions for offending. "They have nothing to worry about in New Zealand. You're not allowed to deforest native forests in New Zealand. "Ultimately I as the government can give an absolute assurance that it doesn't happen because we prosecute, we go and find these things." He said it will likely impose "unreasonable" costs on producers, making it a barrier to trade, even while there was a free trade agreement with the EU now in force . "So you need to keep preparing in case they don't get there, but we're gonna keep banging the table." Photo: Supplied / Hamish Best Industry analytics firm Prism Earth was a partnership between Silver Fern Farms and Lynker Analytics launched to meet the increased demand for carbon traceability, its website said. Prism Earth was now using satellite imagery, aerial photography, LiDAR and artificial intelligence to map farms and identify grazing areas, forests and track animals via the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) programme. Also speaking at the red meat industry event, managing director Matt Lythe said the challenge was to accurately understand the conversion of land and animal movements. "Every consignment will need to have a due diligence statement that essentially monitors every NAIT tag, every animal and its passage through the New Zealand landscape and the grazing process through all its dimensions, and whether it's past deforested land or not," he said. "There are some record-keeping requirements that need to be held in place for five years, so it's a reasonably onerous obligation on us all to achieve." Lythe said its modelling showed there were just under 14,000 hectares of beef production farmland to October 2024 where forests had been removed, and 1600 "affected NAIT" farms. "So headline number, just under 14,000 hectares have had forest removal," he told the conference. The main types of removal were pine rotation, followed by woodlots then shelterbelts. The modelling showed 32 hectares of indigenous forest were removed, affecting 24 farms. "I've highlighted the indigenous loss as really the key critical area that we're focusing on," he said. "Thirty-two hectares of indigenous forest in New Zealand has been removed that breaches that European rule." Owners of farms deemed to have been deforested would need to demonstrate to Prism that the removal of trees was not to convert land for agricultural use. Lythe said farmers could mitigate the risk of cattle crossing into deforested land through fencing or other controls, and demonstrate that the removal of trees was due to either animal welfare, erosion control, health and safety or conservation and biodiversity protection. The New Zealand Deforestation Map would be updated before December, and updated every year. The Meat Industry Association was then expected to engage with the wider sector. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Emerald Ecovations Launches New Line of Sustainable Molded Fiber and PLA Compostable Foodservice Products
New Range of Over 50 New Products Include Tree-Free and Plastic-Free Solutions to Combat Deforestation, Plastic Pollution, and Food Waste HUNTINGTON, N.Y., July 22, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Emerald Ecovations, a leader in sustainable solutions for foodservice and janitorial industries, proudly announces the launch of over 50 additional compostable molded fiber and clear PLA Plant to Plastic® foodservice items. This innovative lineup furthers Emerald Ecovations' commitment to supporting green practices across foodservice industries. "We are thrilled to introduce these groundbreaking products, each designed with the dual goals of environmental responsibility and performance excellence," said Ralph Bianculli, CEO of Emerald Ecovations. "Our molded fiber and PLA solutions help our customers significantly reduce their environmental footprint, directly contributing to measurable savings in trees, water, plastics avoided, and compostable waste diverted from landfills." The new molded fiber products, proudly manufactured in the USA, include clamshells, plates, burrito bowls, and lunch trays. These products use miscanthus, a rapidly renewable plant which Emerald Ecovations believes deeply in, having recently acquired a miscanthus facility in Arkansas. These tree-free items significantly contribute to combating deforestation and are compostable. Unlike many products in the market, Emerald Ecovations' molded fiber solutions contain no added PFAS chemicals, ensuring safer and healthier foodservice operations. Complementing the molded fiber collection, the new PLA product line—featuring clear cold cups, salad bowls, deli containers, and clamshells—addresses the urgent need to eliminate petroleum-based plastics. Derived from renewable plant sources, these PLA products offer superior clarity, durability, and certified commercial compostability, effectively helping to reduce plastic pollution and landfill usage. To further support the rollout, Emerald Ecovations will host an informative webinar showcasing product details, benefits, and sustainability impact. Product images and further information will be available on request. Products are accessible immediately through Emerald Ecovations' distributor network or by direct inquiry at About Emerald Ecovations Emerald Ecovations is on a mission to end deforestation and plastic pollution by providing sustainable products for everyday essentials such as coffee cups, paper plates, toilet paper, and more. Our products are tree-free, plastic free, & toxin free. View source version on Contacts Alex ViolaDirector of Marketing and Communications marketing@ 5164960000
