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United States asks EU to delay deforestation law, letter shows

The United States has asked the European Union to postpone its upcoming ban on imports of soy, wood and other commodities connected to logging, a. letter seen shows, as U.S. exporters battle to be. prepared in time.

The EU's logging law will, from Dec. 30, need. companies and traders positioning soy, beef, coffee, palm oil and. other items onto the European Union market to supply proof. their supply chain does not add to the damage of. forests.

In a letter to the European Commission, U.S. Trade. Agent Katherine Tai, U.S. Farming Secretary Thomas. Vilsack and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo stated U.S. producers were struggling to prepare to comply with the rules.

We therefore prompt the European Commission to postpone the. application of this guideline and subsequent enforcement. charges until these considerable challenges have been. addressed, stated the letter, dated May 30.

The letter said the difficulties for U.S. manufacturers consist of. that, with only 6 months till the law works, the EU. has yet to release a system for producers to send their. documents and has actually not supplied clear carrying out guidance. on the policy.

The letter was initially reported by the Financial Times.

A European Commission representative stated on Thursday it had. received the letter and would reply in due course.

We keep the situation under continuous evaluation and we are. striving to guarantee that all the conditions are met for. smooth implementation of the law, the spokesperson said.

By rooting out logging in the supply chains for. items sold in Europe, the EU policy intends to guarantee that. European consumers are not adding to the damage of. the world's forests from the Amazon to Southeast Asia.

Brussels has up until now withstood calls to delay the law, which. it says is needed to turn voluntary pledges to stop. deforestation - made by countries consisting of the U.S. - into. action.

However the law's requirements, including that producers provide. geolocation information to show their land is not deforested, have. dealt with strong pushback from palm oil producers Indonesia and. Malaysia, and leading soy producer Brazil, who say the EU is. enforcing trade barriers and additional expenses on their economies.

Farming ministers from a bulk of EU countries have. also called for the law to be delayed, on the grounds that it. would hurt European farmers. Under the policy, EU farmers will. be prohibited from exporting products cultivated on deforested or. degraded woodlands.

(source: Reuters)