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The EU Deforestation Regulation is scheduled to come into force on 30 December 2024 | Photo credit: Diego Catto
European non-profit International Coffee Partners (ICP) has become latest industry body seeking a delay to the implementation of the European Union’s EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to enable smallholder coffee farms more time to comply with the new law.
EUDR, which comes into force on 30 December 2024, requires businesses importing products to the EU considered ‘main drivers for deforestation’ – including coffee, palm oil, soya and wood – to produce a due diligence statement that imported goods have not contributed to forest degradation anywhere in the world after 31 December 2020.
In a press release, the ICP – a seven-strong coalition comprising Portugal’s Delta Cafès, Sweden’s Löfbergs, Croatia’s Franck, Norway’s Joh. Johannson, Italy’s Lavazza and Germany’s Neumann Gruppe and Tchibo – said that most smallholder coffee farmers currently do not have suitable data provision systems or the financial resources to comply with EUDR and face being excluded from the EU market.
The coalition warned that coffee farmers are likely to shift their sales to non-EU countries under current timeframes – a move it said would run counter to the goal of reducing coffee-linked deforestation.
While the ICP has broadly welcomed the need for EUDR, it is seeking an extended transition phase and increased support for smallholder coffee farmers to create necessary data provision structures.
“While the EUDR is an important step towards deforestation-free coffee production, it must also take into account the interest of smallholder farmers. Otherwise, the EUDR risks reducing smallholders’ incomes and market shares and increasing their vulnerability to poverty, impeding their potential transition to a more sustainable agriculture,” the ICP added.
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In February 2024, The European Coffee Federation (ECF), which counts prominent European coffee companies illycaffè, JDE Peet’s, Lavazza, Paulig and Nestlé among its members, urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to reconsider the timing of application of the EUDR which it said would cause significant disruption to the global coffee supply chain and limit access to the EU market for coffee producing nations in Africa and Asia.
The following month, the EU indicated it would delay its scheduled classification of deforestation risk countries as ‘low’, ‘standard’ or ‘high risk’ and instead list all countries as ‘medium’ risk to avoid disadvantaging some producer countries.
While some organisations have publicly pushed for a delay to the regulations, others have pro-actively sought to ensure their supply chains comply with the rules.
In February 2024, Amsterdam-based JDE Peet’s began working with sustainability auditor Enveritas to deploy satellite imagery, artificial intelligence (AI) and on-the-ground verification to measure deforestation linked to coffee production in Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania and Uganda. The coffee giant will provide reforestation financing to coffee farmers for every instance of deforestation identified in its supply chain.
Hamburg-based coffee roaster Tchibo is also working with Enveritas to carry out independent assessments of its supply chain as part of a move to source 100% of its coffee ‘responsibly’ by 2027.
