Organisation :
The consumption of commodities in Europe is driving deforestation abroad. Deforestation in countries that produce agricultural commodities is mainly driven by the expansion of agricultural land and cattle ranching, and a large share of the resulting products is exported to Europe for consumption.
While there are regulations and commitments in Europe to halt illegal deforestation related to some specific commodities, such as timber, and general commitments for reducing deforestation in all sectors, little attention has been paid to deforestation embodied in soy and beef production, which are the main drivers of deforestation in Latin America.
In order to prevent deforestation from being embodied in European imports, policymakers, and stakeholders need to work together to extend the scope of existing European regulation of consumption so that there are specific regulations and policies in place for all of the main commodities that drive deforestation. They can also work to help raise the ambition, and improve the regulatory framework and regulatory enforcement, of the producer countries.