Unintended consequences of EU Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR) on smallholder coffee producers in East Timor, part 1

Published 2024년 1월 16일

Tridge summary

The European Union passed legislation in 2023 requiring seven agricultural commodities to be "deforestation free" before importation, including coffee. The law went into effect on June 29, 2023, with enforcement beginning in January 2025. Timor-Leste, one of the world’s poorest countries, heavily relies on coffee as a cash crop, and the new legislation may have significant impacts on smallholder coffee farmers in the region. The regulation places a significant compliance burden on importers, and understanding the realities facing smallholder farmers in Timor-Leste is essential to understanding why compliance may be impossible for many.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

[Editor’s note: This is part one of a two-part column by guest author Andrew Hetzel. Daily Coffee News does not engage in sponsored content of any kind, and all views or opinions expressed in this piece are those of the author/s.] Agriculture is a leading cause of land use change and deforestation, and the second largest emitter of greenhouse gasses behind burning fossil fuels. To reduce the adverse effects of farming on the climate, the European Union passed landmark legislation in 2023 requiring seven agricultural commodities to be confirmed “deforestation free” before importation. Enforcement of the European Union Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) begins in January 2025. Coffee, claimed to represent 7% of EU-driven deforestation, is one of the law’s regulated commodities. While applauded as a significant environmental milestone, EUDR’s design fails to consider complex smallholder agricultural supply chains, such as those found in coffee. Coffee is farmed by millions of ...

Source: Dailycoffeenews