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EU envoys concur implementation delay of logging law

storyp1> BRUSSELS, Oct 16 (Reuters) European Union ambassadors settled on Wednesday to delay application of the bloc's landmark logging law by a year till the end of December next year, they said in a declaration.

The Commission proposed the hold-up this month after coming under intense pressure from some member states and major agricultural product exporters such as Brazil and Malaysia.

The law had been agreed in June 2023 with the application to begin on Dec. 30 this year.

Logging is the second biggest source of the greenhouse gas emissions that cause environment change after the burning of nonrenewable fuel sources, the European Commission states.

The law, called EUDR, would have required companies importing items including beef, coffee, palm oil and wood to show their supply chains did not contribute to the destruction of the world's forests, or face substantial fines.

Products produced on land that was not deforested or deteriorated after Dec. 31, 2020, are considered to be deforestation-free.

Big operators and traders will now need to comply by Dec. 30, 2025, while smaller sized and mid-sized companies will have until June 30, 2026.

The European Parliament still needs to vote on the hold-up.


(source: Reuters)