The Parliament also adopted amendments proposed by political groups, including the creation of a new category of countries posing ‘no risk’ on deforestation in addition to the existing three risk categories of ‘low’, ‘standard’ and ‘high’. Countries classified as ‘no risk’, defined as countries with stable or increasing forest area development, would face significantly less stringent requirements as there is a negligible or non-existent risk of deforestation.
Irish Farmers Association (IFA) president, Francie Gorman, welcomed the developments: “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. The amendments should pave the way for a more streamlined application of the regulation at farm level in Ireland,” he said. The introduction of the ‘zero risk’ category was important as it should help to simplify the requirements for farmers, he added.
He praised the work done by the IFA office in Brussels. He added that the IFA will be continuing direct dialogue with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on this matter to ensure that it is implemented in a farmer friendly manner.