GERMANY

EUDR: Zero risk – but full bureaucracy

"Providing proof of deforestation-free status for a cow from the Wesermarsch region is absurd. We don't have a deforestation problem in Germany – but we're supposed to build a mountain of unnecessary bureaucracy," says Steffen Reiter, CEO of the German Meat Industry Association (VDF), describing the criticism of the EU Deforestation Regulation. "We support the regulation's goal of ensuring the global protection of forests and the preservation of biodiversity. The goal is right. But its implementation creates a great deal of unnecessary bureaucracy," adds Reiter.

Posted on Jul 30 ,00:25

Therefore, the VDF is calling on the German federal government to strongly advocate for the introduction of a zero-risk option, as promised in the coalition agreement: countries with a negligible deforestation risk can thus be exempted from the bureaucratic burden. "This promise must be fulfilled now, otherwise the regulation will become a bureaucratic monster for German cattle farmers and all subsequent operations in the chain that pose no risk at all", demands Reiter.

In Germany, any conversion of forest land is already strictly regulated and requires approval. Nevertheless, the EU regulation requires all cattle farmers and all downstream companies to provide complex documentation that their products are "deforestation-free." This reversal of the burden of proof makes no sense. From the association's perspective, it is incomprehensible why livestock farmers in countries that demonstrably do not practice deforestation must additionally document that they do not destroy forests.

If the introduction of a zero-risk category cannot be implemented at European level, an immediately implementable digital solution is needed. In Germany, this can be achieved by adapting the so-called HIT database. Companies have been waiting for months for a clear framework. Neither the EU Commission nor the national authorities have yet provided a practical solution. But time is running out: "We are facing the same dilemma as a year ago. If the systems are not available by September 1st, the affected companies will have no chance to test them and adapt their own inventory management systems. The implementation of the EUDR will then have to be postponed again", says Reiter, describing the practical challenges.

What is particularly problematic is that each member state is organizing implementation in its own way. Some countries want a literal implementation, while others interpret the requirements very generously. This makes fair trade within the EU impossible. Therefore, an EU-wide coordinated implementation is required – without this, there is a risk of significant disruption to the European internal market.

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