Coffee Growers Worry about New EU Anti-deforestation Rules

Coffee Growers Worry about New EU Anti-deforestation Rules

　　Coffee growers in many countries are worried about a new European rule designed to prevent deforestation.

　　Deforestation describes when developers cut down trees to make room for crops, buildings or land where cattle can graze.

　　The new rule goes into effect at the end of 2024. It covers products like coffee, cocoa, soy, palm oil, wood, rubber and beef. The European Union says all of those products result in tree cutting. The United Nations says deforestation is the world's second-leading cause of carbon emissions² after the burning of fossil fuels.

　　Large producers must show their products come from land where trees have not been cut down since 2020. Smaller producers must do the same but will be permitted to sell their products until July 2025.

　　A report from the World Wildlife Fund showed that Europe's imports of products linked to forest-clearing caused the second-most deforestation in the world in 2017. That year, China was first. An expert said the new European rule could help prevent more deforestation and push farmers around the world to plant trees, vines and grasses.

　　Helen Bellfield is a policy director at Global Canopy³, a nonprofit organization based in Britain. It suggests business change their production methods that hurt the environment.

　　She said the new EU rules could force governments to help farmers make changes. On the other hand, farmers could just sell to countries outside of the EU.

　　The world's top coffee producers include Vietnam, Ethiopia and Peru. Growers in those countries worry they will no longer be able to sell in Europe.

　　The new EU rules could help coffee farmers like Le Van Tam of Vietnam who has taken the environment into account. He first planted coffee in the Central Highlands area in 1995. At the time, he cleared land so he could grow as much coffee as possible. But in 2019, he changed his growing methods. Instead of using lots of fertilizers and pesticides⁵, he started planting tamarind trees that add nutrients⁶ to the soil. He added black pepper vines and grass, which helps to keep the soil moist and prevents erosion. The changes qualified⁷ his coffee as "organic," which opened new markets and made his coffee more valuable. He did not produce more, but his profits went up, he said.

　　Vietnam hopes that more farmers will make changes, which will permit them to sell in Europe and maintain the nation's rank as the world's second-largest coffee producer.

　　The news is not as good for those in Ethiopia and Peru. Orders for Ethiopian coffee are already falling and Peru's farmers who are in the Amazon River area may not be able to provide information required by the EU.

　　"There will be winners and losers," Bellfield said.

　　Vietnam depends on Europe for 40 percent of its coffee sales. As soon as the new rules came out, the country began working to maintain its market share.

　　Vietnamese officials worked with small farmers to make sure their land met the new EU requirements. In addition, it made a database showing where its coffee came from. Farmers like Tam got special certificates from international agencies that proved how his beans were grown.

　　Tam said the extra work will be worth it because, even if his costs are higher, he can get more money for his coffee. "Otherwise, we will always be laborers," he said.

　　Small Vietnamese farmers still must get ready for the new rules. They will need technology to prove where their beans came from and that their land is certified⁸ by the EU. They will also need to be sure the qualified beans are not mixed with banned beans. From the harvest to shipment, new systems must be put into place to prevent errors.

　　Brazil is another big coffee-producing nation. Since it already sells a lot to Europe, experts say most of its products already meet EU requirements.

　　But farmers in Peru and Ethiopia may need more time. Gizat Worku is head of the Ethiopian Coffee Exporters Association. He said collecting data about the land of millions of small farmers will be a problem. "That requires a huge amount of resources," he said.

　　Gizat said orders from Europe are already falling. Some coffee exporters are thinking about selling to the Middle East and China instead. Ethiopian coffee sells well in those places.

　　"These regulations are going to have a tremendous impact," Gizat said.

　　Words in This Story

　　graze –v. to eat grass

　　emission¹ –n. the release of a gas from, usually, an industrial process

　　fossil fuel –n. oil, coal or natural gas

　　pesticide⁴ –n. a chemical that is used to destroy insects that damage crops

　　moist –adj. the condition of being a little wet, holding some moisture

　　erosion –n. the process in which land and minerals are broken down by wind, water and temperature

　　certificate –n. a document or declaration that says the holder⁹ is qualified to do something or act in some way

　　tremendous –adj. really big

1 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

2 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

3 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

4 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

5 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

8 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

9 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。