Brazil’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Carlos Fávaro criticized the European Union’s anti-deforestation law, which bans the import of products linked to recently deforested land. This is the first response from Brazil since the European Council suggested postponing implementation of the regulation until December 2025. The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) requires companies to prove that products, such as beef and soy, are not tied to land that has been deforested since Dec. 31, 2020. The rule applies equally to land that has been deforested legally and illegally, in effect superseding national laws. “We don’t want to sacrifice our forests for economic growth, but Europe is overstepping on Brazilian sovereignty, and we aren’t going to agree with this. That’s why we are acting against this approved law,” Fávaro said at the Bloomberg New Economy at B20 business event in São Paulo on Oct 23. The EU argues that the law is key to curbing global deforestation and the worst outcomes of the climate crisis. The regulation has been received with pushback from its main trading partners, including the U.S., China and India. “We will respond to protectionism that is being imposed on us by widening the scope of our trading partners,” Fávaro said. He added that Brazil will push back by increasing trade with other global markets. In March 2024, China approved imports from an additional 38 Brazilian meat processing plants, bringing the total to 144. Fávaro said Brazil is currently negotiating approval for additional beef exports to China from…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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