European trade group urges delay in deforestation-free law

A prominent European coffee industry trade organization reportedly sent a letter to the European Commission urging the delay of implementation of the new EU deforestation-free supply chain law, known as EUDR. In a letter obtained by Bloomberg, the European Coffee Federation (ECF) warned that the currently scheduled Dec. 30 implementation of the law for large European companies would be “shattering, not least for the millions of smallholder producers for whom the EU is a significant marketplace.” The ECF did not immediately reply to DCN’s request to verify the contents of the letter, which according to Bloomberg was addressed to European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen. The membership of the Brussels, Belgium-based group represents a vast majority of green coffee that flows into the European market. Members include roasting companies such as Lavazza, Illy, JDE Peet’s, Nestlé and Starbucks, as well as major green coffee trading companies such as Ecom, Ofi, Louis Dreyfus ...