Palm Oil Monitor

Something to celebrate in the lead-up to HUT Ke-79 Kemerdekaan RI: According to Indonesia Palm Oil Facts: ISPO Is now the world’s largest palm certification scheme

FT on EU-Mercosur: "[Mercosur's] irritants include a separate EU anti-deforestation law, due to come into effect next year, which will ban the import of goods such as wood, beef and coffee produced on deforested land. Mercosur wants guarantees that the legislation will not in effect nullify the benefits of a trade deal for its exporters, said one official." This is a big concern among any number of the EU's potential bilateral partners -- Indonesia and Australia, for example. It's also managed to annoy those with a bilateral agreement (Canada) and those with distant or no prospects (China and the US). Its intentions are good, but its execution has been woeful. #eudr #internationaltrade #mercosur

World’s leading expert on deforestation says Indonesia’s record-low deforestation is ‘real and validated’ ... NGOs, European retailers, Nigerian cocoa farmers add to calls for an #EUDR delay ... New biodiesel tariffs underline EU’s lack of competitiveness ... Read more at the link...

“World Bank research shows that the EU Deforestation Regulation’s impact on exports of low- and middle-income countries is likely to be significant ... Developing country governments and firms – particularly small and medium-sized ones – need technical and financial assistance to comply with the regulation.” The EU Commission is still not forthcoming with any compliance guidelines. It hasn't developed large-scale assistance programs for the millions of developing country farmers, exporters, firms and governments that will be affected. It's no surprise many, many countries -- including the US, Australia and Canada -- as well as EU Member States are calling for a delay of its implementation.

Does Von Der Leyen Equal EUDR De-Layin? Commission President Ursula von der Leyen concedes the EUDR has alienated trading partners ... at the same time Germany’s Green Agriculture Minister has thrown his support behind a delay as NGOs push for keeping the same deadline. The question is whether VDL's own party - the EPP - and their push for a two-year delay will remain intact. Read more at the link. #eudr #deforestation #palmoil #vonderleyen

"Countries including Brazil and Australia urge Brussels to delay new rules that could ban key goods entering bloc." Indonesia and other palm producers have been highlighting the problems with the EU's maps since their publication.

Rubber producers in Sumatra have already noted downward pressure on exports to the EU from Indonesia because of the #EUDR.   Executive Secretary of the Association of Indonesian #Rubber Companies (Gapkindo) Edy Irwansyah recently noted a drop in export volumes from Indonesia to countries where EUDR compliance will be problematic going into 2025.    “Exports for June shipments are almost 100% based on long-term contracts (LTC), where the majority is rubber that follows European anti-deforestation regulations known as EUDR … Difficulty for rubber processing factories to comply with EUDR regulations means that export volumes are difficult to recover.” Read more at the link ... https://lnkd.in/gtpPWgBz

The EPP is seeking to make the EUDR delay a priority at an EPP meeting in Portugal, starting today. EPP environmental spokesman Peter Liese said, “We need to keep the legislation. I’m not in favour of abolishing it, but we need to modify it." Very important that EUDR boosters understand that the proposed implementation is simply unworkable. This isn't a call for the end of the EUDR. This is a call to stop it failing completely. https://lnkd.in/gwauqVqx #eudr #deforestation #palmoil

EPP Environmental Spokesperson Peter Liese says Commission "absolutely must postpone" the #EUDR "bureaucratic monster". Full statement from Dr Peter Liese: Goal correct, but implementation far too bureaucratic / Letter from Biden administration shows urgency “The European Commission absolutely must postpone the entry into force of the deforestation regulation and then use the transitional period to reduce bureaucracy in the text," demanded Dr. Peter Liese, environmental spokesperson for the largest political group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats). The aim of the regulation is to be fully supported, the MEP continued: "We must do something about deforestation worldwide and take our responsibility seriously. It is unacceptable for areas the size of eleven soccer pitches to fall victim to deforestation per minute. "However, the regulation has been turned into a bureaucratic monster by a majority of Greens, Social Democrats, Leftists and French Liberals. Many small farmers around the world and even small forest owners in the European Union cannot work with the text. "Even the preparatory work that the Commission should have carried out has not been done. In addition, third countries are complaining massively about the legislation, including countries that are pursuing the same goal as we are, namely to stop deforestation. Most recently, in a letter dated May 30, the Biden Administration from the U.S. urged the Commission to postpone the entry into force.” After many discussions that Liese has had with representatives of the European Commission and representatives of other political groups, he is optimistic that the Commission will propose a postponement and that this will also pass through Parliament quickly. “We can adopt the postponement in the short term making use of the urgent procedure so that all sides have time to breathe and then calmly discuss changes to the text that mean less bureaucracy but still protection against deforestation,” Liese emphasized. #palmoil #indonesia #deforestation

The White House to the EU: "Delay the implementation of [the #EUDR] and subsequent enforcement penalties until these substantial challenges have been addressed." This is a big deal. It's not just legislators putting their weight behind this. This is the administration, and specifically USTR, Commerce and Agriculture. There's genuine concern out there. And as we've said before, it's not because "big business" doesn't want to comply. It's because the regulation has been poorly thought out, poorly planned, and the Commission -- specifically DG ENVI -- didn't consult appropriately with everyone in the supply chain to make sure it would work. And as we've said before, it's not about wanting to cut more trees. It's about having a regulation that's workable for those who are already doing the right thing, and not marginalising smallholders further. #eudr #sawit #indonesia