EU Deforestation Regulation 2023 threatens livelihood of millions of coffee producers

EU Deforestation Regulation to take effect from January 1st, 2025.

The European Union is failing to deal with the issue as are other governments around the world. An in-depth report, the 2023 Coffee Barometer, introduced by Ethos Agriculture with the support of Conservation International and Solidaridad, highlights that there is a risk that companies faced with up-coming legislation will source their products increasingly from developed regions such as Brazil where farmers are better placed to operate under the up-coming EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

Saying that Solidaridad is not the founder of the EU’s mandatory due diligence rules for products and derivatives affecting deforestation but is one of the founders of Fair Trade in the Netherlands, he went on to add that it is important that the EU and governments set-up and define measures that direct the sector towards sustainability and that companies do step up to them and ensure that coffee producers are well paid.

The EU should be in partnership with producing counties. In parallel with the legislation the EU has to develop support structures, especially for countries with many coffee farmers, like Uganda and Ethiopia, to make the standards work in practice. They are not ready yet but the requirement will be there in January 1st, 2025.

“We are focusing on the fact that companies will be focusing on working with countries with a good infrastructure and that are already well developed,” said Sjoerd Panhuyse.