Coffee-producing nations could find their exports blocked from the EU market unless Brussels delays a ban on products from deforested areas, one of the world’s biggest coffee and tea companies has said.
JDE Peets said that if the bloc’s new deforestation law was not postponed by at least a year it could temporarily cut countries from its supply chain amid uncertainty about their compliance with the rules.
“There’s a need for clarity to be provided from the EU and time is ticking,” said Christopher Beath, JDE Peet’s global coffee and tea sourcing director. The sector had made significant investments based on its own understanding of the new rules, he said, warning that companies would find it hard to comply with the deadline “if that interpretation is incorrect”.