remains for agricultural trade with the Global South, with soya, palm oil, coffee, and cocoa being the main crops imported. Despite the European Union’s goal of promoting sustainability in this trade, it often falls short in reality. To address this issue, a new method has been created to pinpoint opportunities for sustainable agricultural trade. This method involves a detailed examination of the significance of each product for both the EU and the country of origin, as well as the impact it can have. The researchers discovered that more than 80% of the deforested land is used for EU production.
The European Union (EU) is looking to improve sustainability in its agricultural trade with the Global South, aiming to reduce the environmental and climate impact of importing crops like soya, palm oil, coffee, and cocoa. However, this goal is often not met in reality. Scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the University of Rostock have created a new method for identifying ways to trade agricultural products sustainably and have published their results in One Earth. This method involves a…A thorough investigation reveals the significance of individual products for the EU and their country of origin, as well as their influence. The study indicates that more than 80% of deforested land for EU production is dedicated to growing soya, palm oil, cocoa, and coffee.
With the exception of a few cases, the cultivation of soya, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, sugar, or hazelnuts in non-European countries is not truly sustainable. For instance, rainforests are cleared and valuable grasslands are replaced by palm oil and cocoa plantations and soya monocultures. Additionally, harmful pesticides are used in the cultivation of cocoa and hazelnuts.elnuts. The EU has shown its commitment to sharing responsibility to prevent negative consequences for biodiversity, ecosystems, and the climate. It is dedicated to the principle of Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) in its development policy, aiming to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN within EU borders and support developing countries in their implementation. The EU Commission has also pledged to promote the transformation towards sustainable agricultural and food systems in the Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy. This demonstrates the EU’s determination to address these important issues.the intricate trade connections between the EU and agricultural exporting countries are being examined by a research team. They are suggesting a new method that looks at the significance and impact of individual imported goods for both the EU and the exporting country. The “relevance” factor measures the percentage of a specific agricultural product from a certain country in the total imports to the EU. The “leverage” factor assesses the importance of the proportion of an agricultural product imported into the EU for the exporting country’s overall agricultural production or value chain. This method allows us to analyze the trade relations in a more comprehensive manner.”The significance of trade with the EU for each agricultural product and exporting country, and explore ways to make these trade relations more sustainable,” stated UFZ environmental policy expert Dr. Yves Zinngrebe, lead author of the publication. The team of authors examined the importance and impact of the major agricultural imports on three dimensions: the economic value of these imports for the country of origin, the footprint as a measure of land consumption for the cultivation of the imported goods, and the deforestation (i.e. how many hectares had to be cleared for the production of the imported goods).
The researchers have found that more than 80% of the land deforested for EU products is due to the cultivation of soya, palm oil, cocoa, and coffee. They also discovered that the EU’s influence is concentrated on specific groups of countries with particular export profiles. This is especially true for the MERCOSUR countries of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, as trade with these countries, especially in soya, accounts for a significant portion of the trade value, required land area, and imported deforestation. Additionally, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea are also impacted by EU trade.
In West Guinea, there are farms that specialize in growing palm oil, and there are also countries in Africa, Latin America, and Vietnam that specialize in growing cocoa and coffee. According to Zinngrebe, “The EU could make significant progress by focusing on soya, palm oil, coffee, and cocoa when establishing sustainable trade relations.” The EU also has considerable influence in some small sugar-producing countries. While countries like Mauritius, Fiji, Barbados, and the Bahamas may not be highly relevant overall to the EU, they have a high leverage (i.e. the proportion of the cultivation area reserved for EU exports), ranging from 20-40%, which presents a strong potential.The EU has an important role in setting sustainability standards, especially when it comes to countries in Eastern Europe (e.g. Ukraine and Russia) and Central Asia (e.g. Kazakhstan) that export large amounts of grain to the EU. About 70% of the imported footprint from these countries is from cereals like wheat, maize, and barley, as well as oilseed crops such as sunflowers, rapeseed, and linseed. Prof Sebastian Lakner suggests that the EU should focus on using its leverage with trading partners to ensure greater sustainability in global food systems.Agricultural economist at the University of Rostock and lead author of the study, stated, “The goal is to establish new agricultural standards or regulations with our trading partners that benefit both the countries of origin and the countries of consumption.” The EU supply chain law can help achieve this by improving the transparency of the production conditions of traded goods. This includes information on the extent of deforestation for agricultural products and the previous use of the land. For highly significant agricultural products like soy and palm oil, this is particularly important.The EU is responsible for almost two-thirds of the deforestation in partner countries and one-third of the environmental impact. It is important for the EU to address this issue. For instance, the EU could encourage more sustainable livestock farming or promote a low-meat diet to reduce demand. However, past examples like palm oil demonstrate the need for careful handling of global trade. The EU previously implemented regulations for more sustainable cultivation, but this resulted in losing significant market shares to countries like India and China. As a result, the EU lost some of its influence.The demand for palm oil continues to drive the trade, reducing the EU’s influence in making it more sustainable, according to Zinngrebe. The proportion of palm oil imported into the EU is no longer as high, diminishing its leverage. To achieve policy coherence for development, the EU must support these countries in diversifying their economies beyond agriculture to promote sustainable production. (Journal Reference: Thomas Kastner, Abhishek Chaudhary, Simone Gingrich, Alexandra Marques, U. Martin Persson, Giorgio Bidoglio, Gaëtane Le Provost, and Florian Schwarzmüller conducted a study on global agricultural trade and its impact on land system sustainability, including ecosystem carbon storage, biodiversity, and human nutrition. The research was published in the journal One Earth in 2021. The article can be accessed via DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2021.09.006