Malaysian Smallholders Protest EU Deforestation Regulations
-Malaysian palm oil and rubber smallholders on Wednesday filed a petition to the European Union to protest against a new law preventing imports into the bloc of commodities linked to deforestation risks.
-More than 500 smallholders in the country signed a petition as a joint stance to urge the European Union (EU) to review the European Union Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) that is deemed discriminatory.
The petition was sent to the delegation of the EU to Malaysia by six representatives of the palm oil sector, namely the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda), the National Association of Smallholders Malaysia and Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra).
Also included are Sarawak Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association (Doppa), Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Felcra) and Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda).
Malaysian smallholders demanded the exclusion of smallholders from the EU’s Deforestation Regulations, a definition of smallholder, as well as the recognition of Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) scheme and rating of Malaysia as a “Low Risk” country.
According to the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC):
“MSPO already guarantees Malaysia’s commitment to comprehensive sustainability standards, and continues to provide sustainable and deforestation-free palm oil to our European and global customers.”
The recipient of the petition, EU Ambassador to Malaysia, Michalis Rokas tweeted that he was pleased to receive the petition.
-More than 500 smallholders in the country signed a petition as a joint stance to urge the European Union (EU) to review the European Union Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) that is deemed discriminatory.
The petition was sent to the delegation of the EU to Malaysia by six representatives of the palm oil sector, namely the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda), the National Association of Smallholders Malaysia and Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra).
Also included are Sarawak Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association (Doppa), Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Felcra) and Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda).
Malaysian smallholders demanded the exclusion of smallholders from the EU’s Deforestation Regulations, a definition of smallholder, as well as the recognition of Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) scheme and rating of Malaysia as a “Low Risk” country.
According to the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC):
“MSPO already guarantees Malaysia’s commitment to comprehensive sustainability standards, and continues to provide sustainable and deforestation-free palm oil to our European and global customers.”
The recipient of the petition, EU Ambassador to Malaysia, Michalis Rokas tweeted that he was pleased to receive the petition.
What makes his statement on traceability and non-deforestation palm oil from Malaysia so interesting, is a report from Financial Times on a similar issue. According to FT’s report, which was covered by Reuters and republished widely, the UK is poised to remove all tariffs on Malaysian palm oil, as a condition for its entry into the CPTPP.
Reaction from green groups was predictable. As mentioned in the FT report:
Alex Wijeratna, senior director at deforestation campaign group Mighty Earth, said:
“The removal of tariffs on palm oil products from Malaysia without any environmental safeguards makes it very hard for the UK to call itself a climate leader committed to tackling deforestation and protecting precious habitats of endangered species.”
Clare Oxborrow, senior sustainability analyst at Friends of the Earth, said the plans were deeply concerning and could lead to more devastating loss of forest ecosystems.
“This concession is completely at odds with the government’s commitment to curb deforestation from UK supply chains. We need robust legislation that ensures the products we consume in the UK don’t harm forests, communities and wildlife overseas,”
A different report on the FT news by the Independent UK quoted Angela Francis, director of policy solutions at WWF:
“the government must set better environmental trade standards if it is serious about trading in a way that delivers on its climate and nature promises.
The lowering of tariffs on Malaysian palm oil is a stark illustration of the problem with UK trade policy.
Currently, there are no environmental standards on goods that enter the UK market but trade deals which lower tariffs, such as the CPTPP, encourage us to import food produced in ways that destroy natural habitats or use harmful pesticides which would be illegal in the UK.”
The reporter for The Independent, Matt Mathers, then chipped in with his own two bits by writing that:
“Malaysia is the world’s second-biggest producer of palm oil, the harvesting of which campaigners say has an extremely harmful impact on the environment.
It is harvested from oil palm trees, which can live for an average of 28 to 30 years, and is used in a host of everyday products – in everything from food to cosmetic products.
Once the trees grow too high, making it difficult for producers to reach the fruit, they are cut down to make room for new trees, which campaigners say contributes to deforestation and damages biodiversity.”
Matt obviously has no clue what he is writing about as old palm oil trees, are cut down to be replaced by new trees on the same ground where the old trees stood. This is replanting, which has absolutely nothing to do with deforestation. It is a big issue for the palm oil industry in Malaysia and Indonesia where older plantations need to be replanted in order to maintain harvests on the same land.
Matt maybe excused if palm oil is not his area of expertise. However, for Alex, Clare and Angela, who work for well known environmental groups, to express concern over the UK’s elimination of tariffs for Malaysian palm oil, shows that they are completely out of touch with what Malaysia has done in recent years to make its palm oil production sustainable for the global market.
There is a ton of environmental standards imposed upon Malaysian palm oil. These are enforced as a mandatory certification program under the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) standards.
What makes the MSPO different from other palm oil certification schemes, is that the MSPO is a national standard by which, every tree and every ounce of palm oil, has to abide by. It is indeed, national certification programs like the MSPO which can clean up the controversies around palm oil.
The Director of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) had previously stated in reference to the EUDRs:
“Malaysia does not allow deforestation for oil palm cultivation. The EU must recognise products based on the country of origin and not globally, as is done for palm biofuel,”
For the uninformed, what the MPOB does, is control anything to do with palm oil production in Malaysia. This covers the whole gamut from research and development to licensing plantations, mills, smallholders, down to what type of oil palm seedlings are planted in Malaysia.
As such, UK imports of Malaysian palm oil cannot have a higher environmental standard than what Malaysia is currently producing. Ambassador Rokas probably knew this better than the folks who reacted poorly to the UK’s position on Malaysian palm oil.
Reaction from green groups was predictable. As mentioned in the FT report:
Alex Wijeratna, senior director at deforestation campaign group Mighty Earth, said:
“The removal of tariffs on palm oil products from Malaysia without any environmental safeguards makes it very hard for the UK to call itself a climate leader committed to tackling deforestation and protecting precious habitats of endangered species.”
Clare Oxborrow, senior sustainability analyst at Friends of the Earth, said the plans were deeply concerning and could lead to more devastating loss of forest ecosystems.
“This concession is completely at odds with the government’s commitment to curb deforestation from UK supply chains. We need robust legislation that ensures the products we consume in the UK don’t harm forests, communities and wildlife overseas,”
A different report on the FT news by the Independent UK quoted Angela Francis, director of policy solutions at WWF:
“the government must set better environmental trade standards if it is serious about trading in a way that delivers on its climate and nature promises.
The lowering of tariffs on Malaysian palm oil is a stark illustration of the problem with UK trade policy.
Currently, there are no environmental standards on goods that enter the UK market but trade deals which lower tariffs, such as the CPTPP, encourage us to import food produced in ways that destroy natural habitats or use harmful pesticides which would be illegal in the UK.”
The reporter for The Independent, Matt Mathers, then chipped in with his own two bits by writing that:
“Malaysia is the world’s second-biggest producer of palm oil, the harvesting of which campaigners say has an extremely harmful impact on the environment.
It is harvested from oil palm trees, which can live for an average of 28 to 30 years, and is used in a host of everyday products – in everything from food to cosmetic products.
Once the trees grow too high, making it difficult for producers to reach the fruit, they are cut down to make room for new trees, which campaigners say contributes to deforestation and damages biodiversity.”
Matt obviously has no clue what he is writing about as old palm oil trees, are cut down to be replaced by new trees on the same ground where the old trees stood. This is replanting, which has absolutely nothing to do with deforestation. It is a big issue for the palm oil industry in Malaysia and Indonesia where older plantations need to be replanted in order to maintain harvests on the same land.
Matt maybe excused if palm oil is not his area of expertise. However, for Alex, Clare and Angela, who work for well known environmental groups, to express concern over the UK’s elimination of tariffs for Malaysian palm oil, shows that they are completely out of touch with what Malaysia has done in recent years to make its palm oil production sustainable for the global market.
There is a ton of environmental standards imposed upon Malaysian palm oil. These are enforced as a mandatory certification program under the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) standards.
What makes the MSPO different from other palm oil certification schemes, is that the MSPO is a national standard by which, every tree and every ounce of palm oil, has to abide by. It is indeed, national certification programs like the MSPO which can clean up the controversies around palm oil.
The Director of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) had previously stated in reference to the EUDRs:
“Malaysia does not allow deforestation for oil palm cultivation. The EU must recognise products based on the country of origin and not globally, as is done for palm biofuel,”
For the uninformed, what the MPOB does, is control anything to do with palm oil production in Malaysia. This covers the whole gamut from research and development to licensing plantations, mills, smallholders, down to what type of oil palm seedlings are planted in Malaysia.
As such, UK imports of Malaysian palm oil cannot have a higher environmental standard than what Malaysia is currently producing. Ambassador Rokas probably knew this better than the folks who reacted poorly to the UK’s position on Malaysian palm oil.
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Published March 2023. CSPO Watch