The EU Deforestation Regulation must be “practical and fair”, ICSA president Seán McNamara has said following the European Parliament’s decision to postpone the implementation of the regulation until the end of 2025.

The parliament also voted to create a new category of countries posing “no risk” on deforestation.

Countries classified as “no risk” are defined as countries with stable or increasing forest area development and would face significantly less stringent requirements as there is a negligible or non-existent risk of deforestation.

ICSA said this will minimise the compliance burden on farmers in areas with little or no deforestation.

Common sense

“This is a common-sense step at a time when excessive regulations are making it harder for farmers to stay in business,” he said.

“The introduction of a ‘no risk’ category is a critical move to ensure that farmers in low or zero deforestation regions are not weighed down by unnecessary bureaucracy. This is exactly the kind of balanced approach we need more of - one that supports farmers while still delivering on sustainability goals,” he said.

McNamara added that farmers are fully committed to sustainable practices, but said that the regulation must be practical and fair.

“We need regulations that support our farmers, not ones that threaten to regulate them out of business,” he said.

IFA president Francie Gorman has said the outcome of the vote by MEPs in Brussels to endorse the simplification of the regulation was important.

Onerous implementation

“While the objective of the regulation is logical, the implementation of it at farm level was going to be onerous and potentially very bureaucratic for farmers,” he said, adding that amendments to the regulation should pave the way for a more streamlined application of the regulation at farm level in Ireland.