Prague – The delay in the European regulation aimed at combatting deforestation could lead to disruptions in supply chains and a potential shortage of goods in stores. This warning was issued in a press release by the Food Chamber of the Czech Republic and the Association of Czech Traditional Trade (AČTO). They argue that the regulation, set to take effect on December 30 this year, is inadequately prepared and will impose an excessive bureaucratic burden. The Czech Republic has voiced its concerns about the standard repeatedly, with the European Commission proposing relaxed measures for small businesses earlier this week.
“Brussels officials are completely out of touch with market realities, and their stance will jeopardize thousands of EU small and medium-sized enterprises, which are crucial to supply chains,” stated Dana Večeřová, president of the Food Chamber. Pavla Březiny, chairman of AČTO, expressed that the regulation jeopardizes fundamental supply lines and free trade, warning that “stores may have empty shelves for certain products.”
The regulation encompasses products such as livestock, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soy, wood, and rubber. Retailers will need to validate that these products are not linked to deforestation anywhere globally before they can be sold in the EU. This involves companies collecting and submitting data on the land where commodities are produced to ensure they are not associated with deforestation, which must then be recorded in the European information system.
Food producers highlight that generating a single geolocation code takes approximately ten minutes and that the data entry system is unreliable. “Millions of product codes must be uploaded to the information system. Meeting this demand in real-time is entirely impractical,” the chamber asserts.
The Food Chamber is drafting an open letter to MEPs, urging them to reject the current proposal. Together with the association, they are calling on the new government to oppose the regulation clearly. Earlier, farmers and traders also expressed concerns about excessive bureaucracy, rising costs, and complications in the supply of beef, chocolate, and other foods. Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný (KDU-ČSL) commented in late August that the system is not yet operational, and if it remains unfunctional, he cannot envision burdening foresters, farmers, and other producers with it. (October 24)
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