Yoursay: Improve work conditions and cut reliance on imported labour
‘Gov’t should help fund research into automation of the entire palm oil production.’Malaysia Kini, 03 July 2019
Malaysia, Palm Oil, working condition, labour
Smallholders have nothing to fear, assures EU envoy
OIL palm smallholders, who produce 40% of the crop in Malaysia, have nothing to fear about Europe’s latest law on the commodity, said Maria Castillo Fernandez, the region’s top envoy to the country.The Malaysian Insight , 03 July 2019
Europe, Malaysia, Palm Oil, palm oil ban
Germany calls for coordinated measures in deforestation-free palm oil production
The German government is expecting global palm oil production to grow and is calling for "globally coordinated measures to implement deforestation-free cultivation", according to a response to a parliamentary inquiry first reported on by the German press agency (dpa) on Tuesday.Xinhua Net, 03 July 2019
Germany, Palm Oil, deforestation-free cultivation
Scares around standard of imported foods under Mercosur deal could see products banned from EU
"Scares" around the quality of South American food will trigger a “red button” that results in a ban on products imported from that firm or region under safeguards built into the new Mercosur trade deal.Irish Examiner, 03 July 2019
Europe, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Beef, deforestation, mercosur trade deal, beef trade
ILO, Bayer congratulate Việt Nam, EU on signing free trade deal
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has welcomed the signing of the EU-Việt Nam free trade agreement (EVFTA) on 30 June in Hanoi, which promotes the respect for fundamental labour rights as a basic condition for fair international trade.Bilaterals.org, 02 July 2019
Viet Nam, Timber, VPA, FLEGT, ILO
JBS: Brazilian butchers take over the world
If you eat meat, you probably buy products made by one Brazilian company. A company with such influence it can impact climate change, openly admit to having bribed more than 1,000 politicians, and continue to grow despite scandal after scandal. And you’ve probably never heard of it.The Ecologist, 02 July 2019
Brazil, Beef, JBS, deforestation, slave labour, animal welfare violations
Responsible soy production: Sustainability certifier updates accreditation requirements for supply chain transparency
The sustainability certifier Round Table Responsible Soy (RTRS) has updated its accreditation and certification requirements for responsible soy production (Version 4.2). The update is part of RTRS’s ongoing “commitment to continuous improvement,” and will increase mass balance volumes that will be available for the market, as stated by the organization. The new version makes it mandatory for all producers certified by the organization to include the scope of physical flow of sourced soy (soy sold through traditional sales channels) in the audit Chain of Custody Requirements for Producers by 2020.Food Ingredients First, 02 July 2019
, Soy, RTRS, sustainable soy
Amazon rural development and conservation: a path to sustainability?
Oil palm production in Brazil continues to be conducted on a small scale as compared to the nation’s vast soy plantations. Total oil palm cultivation was just 50,000 hectares in 2010. Today, that total has risen to 236,000 hectares, 85 percent of which is in Pará state.Mongabay, 02 July 2019
Brazil, Palm Oil, deforestation
We must not barter the Amazon rainforest for burgers and steaks
The EU-Mercosur trade deal is good news for Brazil’s huge beef industry but devastating for the rainforest and environment.The Guardian, 02 July 2019
Brazil, Beef, deforestation, mercosur trade deal, beef trade
Paraguay Moves Towards Sustainable Commodities
Now, in an effort to confront those challenges, Paraguay is leading the way in the region to address the causes of deforestation. It is convening a “Forests for Sustainable Growth” strategy, and it is promoting new alternatives for the sustainable production of soy and beef that have been designed jointly with stakeholders.IPSNews, 02 July 2019
Paraguay, Soy, Beef, deforestation
South America gives mixed response to EU trade deal
The trade deal between the European Union and South America’s Mercosur trade bloc has been greeted with anger by Irish beef farmers, but there has been no corresponding euphoria from Latin American competitors.Irish Times, 01 July 2019
Europe, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Beef, EU trade deal, beef trade deal, mercosur deal
Indigenous Iban community defends rainforests, but awaits lands rights recognition
Over the past half century the rainforests of Borneo have been logged, strip-mined, burned, and converted for monoculture plantations. The forests that local people primarily relied upon for sustenance are now felled to feed commodities into the global market.Mongabay, 01 July 2019
Indonesia, Palm Oil, Indigenous People, deforestation
Mercosur Agreement: the EU Turned a Blind Eye to the Concerning Situation in Brazil
By signing a trade agreement with the South American trade bloc Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay), the European Union has missed a chance to stand firm on European principles. Slow Food Europe regrets that the main concerns, earlier expressed by more than 300 organizations over the deteriorating human rights and environmental situation in Brazil, have been ignored.Slow Food, 01 July 2019
Europe, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Beef, deforestation, mercosur trade deal, beef trade
International - Norway will not ban palm oil, but demands sustainability
Norway's government said that despite pressures from its parliament to adopt stricter measures against palm oil, it will not ban the use of palm oil and its derivatives, though it asked Indonesia to work toward sustainable production, the press citedAgra-Net, 01 July 2019
Norway, Palm Oil, palm oil ban
In Yakutia, during raids in the Verkhoyansky and Verkhnevilyuisky districts, facts of illegal logging were revealed
Officers of the MIA of Russia Inter-Municipal Division “Verkhoyansky” found that in the area of Arga-Eteh, illegal logging of larch in the amount of 252 pieces had taken place. Stubs of trees and traces of special vehicles were found on the site.Newskitchen , 26 June 2019
Russia, Timber, illegal logging
Hotline Documentary: When the last tree dies...
Farmers across the country are lamenting climate change is destroying their livelihoods and making it difficult for them to feed their families. Driven mainly by deforestation, the changing climate is causing the rains to fall less in communities. And when it falls, it’s usually so heavy it triggers flooding. And the weather pattern has become unpredictable.My Joy Online , 26 June 2019
Ghana, Timber, Illegal logging
Are palm oil boycotts ‘marketing tricks’?
Food Navigator, 26 June 2019
Malaysia, Palm Oil, palm oil ban
FGV rebuts US petition claiming plantations use child labour
Felda Global Ventures (FGV) Holdings Berhad has come out firmly to deny allegations that it has employed child labour in its operations, following an online petition urging a US boycott of Malaysian palm oil.Malaysia Kini, 26 June 2019
Malaysia, Palm Oil, child labor
Displaced by Palm Oil: Indonesia's last Orangutans
This week’s Photogenie theme is titled Disruptive Dependence. Through visual stories, our curators research the question “How is agricultural production affecting communities and the environment?”PhotoGenie, 26 June 2019
Indonesia, Palm Oil, palm oil plantation, orangutan
Illegal harvesting adding to black economy
Much of the illegal harvesting, unsustainable practices and excessive logging in Fiji’s timber industry have not been recorded over the years.FBC News, 26 June 2019
, Timber, Illegal logging
Trade war risks instability and deforestation in Latin America
The latest round of tariff hikes in the ongoing US-China trade war could have far-reaching impacts not only for major soy exporters Brazil and Argentina, but throughout the whole of Latin America.The Brazilian Report, 26 June 2019
Brazil, China, Soy, trade war
More sustainable, more resilient, and more of it: Rabobank on growth in soy
Food Navigator, 25 June 2019
Brazil, Soy, sustainable soy production
Liberia: EU, FAO Sponsor Training For Community Forest Committees In Buchanan
The National Union of Community Forestry Development Committees (NUCFDC) on Saturday, June 22, concluded a five-day capacity building training for Community Forestry Development Committee members of several counties.Front Africa Online , 25 June 2019
Liberia, Timber, community forest, Training
ASEAN Summit Highlights Palm Oil Discrimination Issue
The European Union’s (EU) discriminatory policy on palm oil that besetting Indonesia and Malaysia was discussed during the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok. Countries leaders and government of ASEAN member states acknowledged the issue on market access and discriminatory act against palm oil.Eco Daily, 25 June 2019
Malaysia, Indonesia, Palm Oil, palm oil ban
European elections put palm oil at risk
The European parliamentary elections last month resulted in a significant and challenging outcome, especially for the palm oil industry.The Jakarta Post, 24 June 2019
Europe, Palm Oil, european election, palm oil ban