EU associations call for adoption of anti-deforestation rules without delay

A group of associations representing European agricultural feed and protein traders has urged the European Parliament and the European Council to adopt a provisional agreement on EU anti-deforestation rules quickly, in order to ensure the new timeline enters into force and avoid any further legal uncertainty.

The European Parliament voted last month to delay implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation -- which stipulates that traders and importers to the EU must ensure that their products such as cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood were not cultivated on land deforested after 2020 -- by 12 months to December 2025.

The associations -- grouping COCERAL, the European cereals oilseeds and olive oils association; FEDIOL, the EU vegetable oil and protein meal industry association; and FEFAC, the compound feed manufacturers' federation -- also welcomed the delay in implementation of the new rules.

"We continue to urge the commission and member states to work together on implementation simplifications and solutions in compliance with objectives of the regulation through updates of the guidelines," the grouping said in a statement.