Coffee growers will have problems complying with the European Union law against deforestation

London. JDE Peet’s, one of the largest coffee companies in the world, noted that the global coffee industry is facing very tight times to comply with a new European Union (EU) law that prohibits the import of raw materials and goods linked to the deforestation anywhere in the world.

The EU law, which will come into force at the end of 2024, will require EU importers of coffee, cocoa, livestock, palm and other commodities to prove that their products do not contribute to the destruction of forests – one of the main causes of climate change – or face heavy fines.

Producer countries from Indonesia to Brazil have criticized the law as discriminatory and because the new rules could end up excluding vulnerable small farmers from access to the lucrative EU market.

They fear that farmers in remote rural regions will not be able, for example, to provide buyers of their products with geolocation coordinates proving that their farms are not located on deforested land after 2020, one of the main requirements of the law.

JDE Peet’s, which produces Douwe Egberts and L’Or coffees, says the EU has simplified this aspect of the law in some points, but the sector will still struggle to comply by the end of 2024.

It is clear that the deadline is very, very tight. We are doing what we can to finish on timeLaurent Sagarra, Vice President of Sustainability at JDE Peet’s, stated in an interview.

In some countries, the compliance deadline has already expired, because the harvests have started, which means that the products they collect now will be sold on the EU market next year and they will already have to comply with the standard, he explained.

JDE Peet’s has signed agreements with Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, Uganda, Peru, Honduras and Rwanda to map and monitor their coffee regions with high-resolution satellite imagery, artificial intelligence and on-the-ground verification.

But the company still has to sign agreements with 20 other countries well before the end of this year to ensure it can continue importing coffee from various origins next year.

Most EU member countries have called on the bloc to scale back the law and possibly temporarily suspend it, fearing that even farmers in the union will struggle to meet all the necessary requirements and prove that their products are free of deforestation.

The European Commission indicated that its Doors are open to discussions with the industry and we not only answer questions you may have about the application.