Farmers and meat traders have added their voices to industry trade bodies urging the EU to delay its planned deforestation law.

Farming body Copa-Cogeca and meat-industry organisation the European Livestock and Meat Trading Union (UECBV) co-signed a letter sent by sector bodies across a range of industries, including media, packaging and timber.

They argue the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation, also known as EUDR, before the end of the year is “simply unfeasible”.

The proposed legislation, announced in late 2021, and intended to help cut greenhouse gas emissions, will mean that from 30 December, companies selling cocoa, coffee, palm oil and other products in the EU will need to prove their supply chains don’t contribute to the destruction of forests.

It has faced opposition from the US government, some countries in South East Asia and paper industry bodies but the EU has so far resisted calls to delay the policy.

Now 28 organisations, including Copa-Cogeca, which represents 22 million farmers in the EU, have issued a joint statement urging a delay to the law’s implementation.

The statement, issued yesterday (25 September) said: “With less than 100 days left and no clear implementation tools, European primary producers and various industries urge a delay of the entry into application of the EUDR.

“The undersigned organisations, representing European primary producers and various industries in the scope of the EUDR, fully support the goal of eradicating deforestation and forest degradation. We recognise the importance of global forests to combat climate change, preserve biodiversity and secure sustainable raw materials and supply chains and our responsibility to preserve them.

“Nevertheless, with less than 100 days remaining until the obligations for operators, traders, and competent authorities come into force, we are still grappling with severe legal and market uncertainties.”

The statement said that operators and traders have voiced concerns about the EUDR’s practical feasibility and called on the European Commission and member states to provide clarification on both the regulation’s general requirements and commodity-specific issues.

“All supply chain actors need this clarity in order to adjust their practices in compliance with the EUDR but this adjustment cannot be achieved at the last minute. It is clear that the time for proper preparation is long overdue and our industries are requested to implement obligations in a shorter timeframe than was ever demanded of any other industrial sector facing comparable EU legislation,” it said.

The statement signatories said they are “still missing adequate responses to our calls for clarity for a workable, harmonised implementation of the regulation”.

They said: “The current situation clearly shows that implementing the EUDR by the end of 2024 is simply unfeasible and would result in many small businesses being wiped out of the market and job losses in rural areas.

“Already now, companies are facing paralysing uncertainties when negotiating contracts for next year. In consequence, serious market disruptions can be expected, which would severely harm European primary producers and downstream industries.”

In June, the US asked the EU to postpone the implementation of the deforestation law.

Members of the US Department of Agriculture, the US Trade Representative office and Department of Commerce wrote to the European Commission to call for a delay, the USDA confirmed.

In a statement sent to Just Food at the time, a USDA spokesperson said the government was “concerned” about “how the regulation will be implemented and the impact it may have on US producers that engage in sustainable production practices”.

However, in July chocolate heavyweights Nestlé, Mars and Ferrero were reported to have given their support to the ban on imported goods linked to deforestation.

News agency Reuters said it had seen a paper supporting the move that had been shared with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s team.

Just Food has asked the European Commission for a response to yesterday's statement.