World’s Top Food Producers Push Back on Deforestation Rules
- Backlash from Brazil is latest example of farmers crying foul
- New requirements will increase costs for supply-chain tracing
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The world’s largest agriculture producers are pushing back against new European Union rules that require proof that crops weren’t grown on deforested land, which producers say will add to the cost of making food.
The latest example of the backlash comes from Brazil, the biggest global exporter of coffee and soybeans. Just this week, the nation’s agriculture minister, Carlos Fávaro, lashed out against the ban, casting doubt on whether it complies with the principles of the World Trade Organization. He added that Brazil is seeking to boost trade with others outside of the EU, including within the five-nation BRICS bloc that also includes Russia, India, China and South Africa.