Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein, has expressed concerns that Namibia’s ability to trade with the European Union (EU) may be threatened as the EU prepares to enforce the EU Deforestation Regulation, which prohibits trade with countries contributing to deforestation.
This regulation, according to the EU Commission, will come into effect on January 2025.
“There is one issue that I need to share with you, and that is that we received notification from the European Union that they have passed a law, which they call the EU Deforestation Regulation. That is a regulation they impose on all their trading partners, which basically says if trading partners are not adhering to their law that prevents deforestation, then you may not trade with them,” the minister explained.
Schlettwein raised these concerns during the official opening of the Aminus Agricultural and Industrial Show. He pointed out that this regulation could pose challenges for Namibia, particularly in light of the country’s charcoal industry and de-bushing activities.
“It’s a purely unilateral decision of the EU, but it impacts us because we have a charcoal industry, we are de-bushing, we are doing a number of things that may fall under their deforestation regulation mandate,” he said.
Schlettwein therefore urged farmers and stakeholders to ensure that Namibia complies with the regulation once it takes effect at the end of the year.
“It will not prohibit the charcoal industry. It will not prohibit the clearing of bushes, but it will set certain limitations. Their consultant will come later this year. We will share that information with you, but it’s just an indication that our status to trade with the EU is continuously under scrutiny, and we will have to comply with what our trading partners in the EU dictate to us,” he added.
The minister also called on farmers and stakeholders to develop a roadmap to address this anticipated situation and prevent any interruption to the marketing of Namibian beef to the EU.
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