ICMSA: New EU deforestation law ‘makes mockery' of simplification
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA) has said that the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) 'makes a mockery' out of the EU's efforts to simplify regulations for farms and businesses.
The aim of the EU Deforestation Regulation, according to the European Commission, is to ensure that goods in the EU market do not contribute to deforestation and forest degradation, both within the EU and globally.
The new regulation means that companies will only be allowed to sell products in the EU if the supplier provides a 'due diligence' statement confirming that the product does not come from deforested land or has led to forest degradation.
The regulation was set to come into effect at the end of 2024. However, this was deferred until the end of 2025, and mid-2026 for smaller businesses.
Despite that deferral, the ICMSA has claimed that the commission will 'have zero credibility with farmers on their much-hyped simplification process…if they proceed with the EU Deforestation Regulation as currently structured'.
The chairperson of ICMSA's Livestock Committee, Michael O'Connell, remarked that the requirements of the EDUR are 'illogical, dizzyingly complex, make no sense, and place an unacceptable burden on farmers'.
'It is surely not too much to ask the commission to decide one way or the other what they are trying to do. The new level of administration and form-filling involved in the deforestation regulation makes a mockery of the so-called simplification process,' he said.
The vast majority of farmland in Ireland has been declared on the [basic payment] system all the way back to 1994, so there's over 30 years of records along with an inspection regime that means the Department [of Agriculture, Food and the Marine] has excellent data on every parcel of land and its usage.
'What the EU Deforestation Regulation will involve is effectively to ignore all this data and implement a new regime where farmers will have to declare annually where their cattle are grazing or their feed is coming? What about the information that we've been giving them for the last 30 years? Why can't they use that?' O' Connell commented.
'We're being asked to start from scratch again and comply with yet another additional administration system; a whole new regulatory regime that will almost certainly cause serious problems when introduced and which ultimately will not achieve its objective,' he added.
The ICMSA is calling for the EU to allow the department to utilise this data and use it to pre-approve or reject farmers under the EUDR for 2026.
'They have the data and it is simply a case of verifying it. There should be absolutely no requirement on pre-approved farmers to submit documentation or otherwise and the produce from their farms should be marketed as normal,' O' Connell said.
He added: 'ICMSA cannot understand the logic of the EU Commission of introducing a ridiculously complex system on top of the system that's already giving them the data they need to make the decisions.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
6 hours ago
- Irish Independent
The Irish Independent's View: Duty calls for Paschal Donohoe whose Eurogroup role is worth its weight in gold to us
The Finance Minister was speaking at the Centre for Financial Studies of the Goethe University in Frankfurt, on the topic of 'Shaping tomorrow and navigating uncertainty: the future of the euro area'. Given Donohoe is the current president of the Eurogroup, his views are keenly observed by the finance ministers of the 20 countries that use the euro. In his address, Donohoe posed the question of why it is, at a time of rising populism, polarisation and fragmentation, that people increasingly trust the euro. He put it down to 'convenience, co-ordination, and confidence'. 'The euro is a powerful symbol of our shared sovereignty. A powerful symbol that you can feel in your wallet, see in your purse. People have confidence in the euro because they know we will defend and support it. They know we will progress and develop it,' he said. The minister also set out his views on the need for the euro to continue to evolve, move forward and be ambitious. Despite having difficulty pronouncing the minister's first name, the chair of the Frankfurt event, former German central banker Professor Axel Weber, described Donohoe as the 'prime European finance diplomat.' 'You are not just a co-ordinator of your colleagues in finance and budget. You are the prime European finance diplomat. You really showed that you have a diplomatic skill in talking about the eurozone. 'We all appreciate that and I think it is the right focus. Europe needs to grow out of its own strengths, rather than the weakness of others. And I think that is a very well received but also worthy message to deliver.' It's no coincidence Donohoe is upping his profile on the European stage at this time. His second term as Eurogroup president ends next month and the vote on who will take up the role for the next two-and-a-half years is due at the end of the month. He seems intent on a third term and nobody seems to be in any position to take him on as he is so well-regarded. Indeed, he is also among the favourites to become the European Central Bank president when Christine Lagarde's term ends in two years' time. Donohoe's relationships with EU leaders are not just about personal career advancement. His eurozone networking is worth its weight in gold to Ireland as it places us at the heart of EU economic policy-making, perhaps not making the decisions, but at the very least having an influence on powerbrokers' deliberations. Donohoe's 'duty' to take up a third term will benefit Ireland's standing amongst our EU partners.
Irish Examiner
8 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Simon Harris was lobbied by arms industry, FoI records show
A lobby group for some of the world's largest arms companies pushed Simon Harris to establish an arms industry strategy. Records released under Freedom of Information show that the Irish Defence and Security Association (IDSA) wrote to Department of Defence assistant secretary general Eamonn Murtagh seeking to schedule a 'quarterly meeting' in late March. The following week, the group's directors, Catriona Heinl and Pat O'Connor, wrote 'a letter of introduction' to Mr Harris, who had been appointed defence minister in January. Lobbying register disclosures show a meeting was held on April 10 at the Department of Defence with the directors of the association to 'represent IDSA member priorities such as certainty surrounding industrial participation policy and industry strategy aspects'. In the letter, the group said it had a number of priorities which it says arose in light of both Irish and European commitments to increase military spending. The introductory letter says the step-up in national and European defence expenditures, 'will prompt the call for local industrial involvement' and that it 'is critical to shape these foundations at this stage'. 'IDSA has strongly recommended the need to develop the nation's defence industry strategy and thereby determine a defined industrial participation policy in defence procurement [in compliance with national/EU regulation].' IDSA members include Lockheed Martin The lobby group, whose members include the world's largest arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin, told the department it 'can provide essential input, bringing national and European industry experience to relevant consultations'. The letter to Mr Harris goes on to say that 'there is an urgent need for active coordination with relevant ministries/agencies responsible for trade and the economy' and the industry and adds that 'the Government's expected economic benefit to Ireland of these increased national defence spend ambitions does not seem to have been yet provided for'. In March, EU 27 leaders signed off on a move to loosen budget restrictions so that willing EU countries can increase their military spending. They also urged the European Commission to explore new ways 'to facilitate significant defence spending at national level in all member states'. The IDSA letter says 'clarity will be needed on how Ireland will position itself in relation to EU Defence Industrial Strategy where the implications of an evolving but fast moving EU industrial focus for Ireland does not yet seem to be determined'. Harris proposed €3bn military budget Mr Harris told the 'Irish Examiner' in February that, 'over time', Ireland should raise military spending to €3bn a year, the highest level set out by the Commission on the Defence Forces 2022 report. That envisages 12 naval vessels, a squadron of combat aircraft, and the army ranger wing having 'an organic self-sustainment capability which would include dedicated combat helicopter assets'. Mr Harris said then: 'The programme for government talks about reaching what they call level of ambition two by 2028 and that basically gets to the €1.5bn. 'But I think we are going to have to go further than that in time. And the programme for Government does talk about moving towards level of ambition three. What I'm saying to the Irish people is €1.5bn should be seen as the floor and certainly not the ceiling in terms of where defence expenditure needs to get to.
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Lack of Cork border control post driving up food prices, say TD and importers
A full border control post for the Port of Cork is again being sought to facilitate inspections of agricultural products. Cork East Fianna Fáil TD James O'Connor asked agriculture, food, and marine minister Martin Heydon in the Dáil to consider the move. The Port of Cork Company previously stated that the current system results in higher prices for consumers of products such as bananas, pineapples, melons, grapes, and citrus fruits. Food importers have also claimed at least 2,000 shipping containers of fruit and veg a year, which could be landed in Cork, were being diverted to ports in Britain or Europe, for transit back to Ireland for the required checks in Dublin. Mr O'Connor, who raised the issue in the Dáil, said a full border control post is needed in Cork. It is required to facilitate consignments of food, food contact materials, animals, feed, and plants that are subject to increased import controls that must enter the EU. Mr O'Connor said the lack of a post is severely impacting the growth of the port while causing additional pollutant emissions and increasing costs for importers and consumers. Mr Heydon said the port is designated a border control post for container shipments of wood and wood products only The Port of Cork company submitted a business case to the Department in October 2022 requesting approval for a full post. Organic sector Much of the benefit expected would accrue to the fruit, vegetable, and organic sector. The department considered the proposal and engaged with the company. 'At the time, it was considered that this proposal did not demonstrate a significant increase of trade to justify the investment in terms of exchequer resources required to run a [border control post],' he said. Mr O'Connor also asked if the department would consider granting temporary derogations of three to six months to prevent disruption to seasonal goods imports needing physical inspection. This would give the port greater flexibility to encourage importers to use Cork and boost trade, while avoiding additional pollutant emissions and increased costs for importers and consumers, he said. Mr Heydon said EU member states are required to perform official controls on live animals, plants, plant products and products of animal origin as required under the European regulation. There are four designated posts in Ireland — located at Dublin Port, Dublin Airport, Rosslare Europort, and Shannon Airport. The designation of posts must be approved by the European Commission and necessitates compliance with detailed rules on minimum requirements for infrastructure, professional staff, equipment, and commodity-specific requirements. Mr Heydon said derogations from these requirements are not provided for in this legislation Cork Port is a designated border control posts for bulk consignments of roundwood logs, but is not designated for live animals, products of animal origin, plants, plant products or organic goods. During 2024, a facilitation was allowed for the importation of melons through the port. This was not a derogation from the requirements for post approval. It was a specific facilitation that allows for a very small number of plants and plant products deemed, on assessment, as presenting minimal risk to the plant health status of the EU. The small number of plants eligible for this facilitation is still subject to identity and physical inspections. A similar facilitation for products of animal origin, live animals, and for most plants and products of plant origin cannot be legally provided, he said. Read More Moorepark dairy open day set for July
