Halt to deforestation-linked beef imports

Operators will have to prove that the products are deforestation-free – produced on land that was not subject to deforestation.

The EU is cracking down on the importation of beef and other products that are linked to deforestation.

The EU regulation on deforestation-free supply chains, once adopted and applied, will ensure that a set of key goods placed on the EU market will no longer contribute to deforestation and forest degradation in the EU and elsewhere in the world.

When the rules come into force, all relevant companies will have to conduct strict due diligence if they place on the EU market or export from it: cattle; palm oil; soy; coffee; cocoa; timber; and rubber, as well as derived products like beef, chocolate, and furniture.

These commodities have been chosen on the basis of an impact assessment identifying them as the main drivers of deforestation due to agricultural expansion.

Operators and traders will have to prove that the products are deforestation-free —produced on land that was not subject to deforestation after December 21, 2020.

Not 'savvy or sane'

Speaking to farmers at this week’s Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association AGM at the Castletroy Park Hotel in Co Limerick, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said it could not “possibly be savvy or sane” to reduce beef production in Ireland in order to reduce emissions and to “even think about an agreement to import beef where the lung of the globe is being decimated”.

“That does not add up. There has to be consistency of approach,” Ms McDonald said.

“It would make very little sense to look for a linear drop in the herd in Ireland on the one hand, if it is a thing that the products from cattle elsewhere actually have a larger negative impact on the globe, that doesn’t make any sense at all.”