PALM OIL RULES MAY SPARK TRADE WAR
Top producers including Malaysia and Indonesia plan to bring case to WTO
PALM oil has emerged as a flashpoint in a potential trade war between the European Union and some of the world’s largest developing nations after the bloc imposed stricter limits on how the crop can be used in green fuels.
The European Commission on Wednesday restricted the types of biofuels from palm oil that might be counted towards the EU’s renewable-energy goals and introduced a certification system.
Indonesia and Malaysia, which supply 85 per cent of the crop, have warned that they are ready to retaliate against what they see as “discriminatory” rules.
Palm oil prices have dropped 18 per cent since the start of last year partly because of a campaign by environmental groups to reduce use of the crop in fuels that was endorsed by the European Parliament.
The EU rules left some loopholes that will weaken the overall impact of the restrictions.
Benchmark futures fell for the seventh day yesterday, the worst streak since November.
“The exemptions to smallholders do not solve the discrimination exercised against palm oil,” said Mahendra Siregar, executive director of the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries. “It fails to recognise the considerable efforts made to secure sustainable palm oil from plantations. Palm oil producing countries should continue to apply pressure on the EU.”
The move was required by a broader law agreed by the 28nation bloc last year, when the European Parliament pushed for curbs on the use of palm oil on concerns its production caused deforestation and aggravated climate change.
The EU wants to lead the battle against global warming and has toughened goals to reduce greenhouse gases blamed for climate change. It aims to cut emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2030, compared with 1990 levels, boost the share of renewable energy to 32 per cent and increase energy efficiency by 32.5 per cent.
“Today’s (yesterday) decision puts a welcomed brake on the craziness of subsidising the burning of palm oil for energy,” said Ariel Brunner, senior head of policy for the environmental group BirdLife Europe.
“Unfortunately, it still has many loopholes and doesn’t affect other drivers of deforestation and biodiversity loss, such as soya. The EU is still locked into a perverse policy that incentivises environmental destruction and increases greenhouse gas emissions in the name of fighting climate change.”
The move set up the EU for conflict with producing nations, which had stepped up their lobbying against the provision in recent weeks.
The Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries, whose members Indonesia, Malaysia and Colombia produce about 90 per cent of global supply, announced they would jointly challenge the bill through bilateral consultations, as well as through the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The council said the law used a “scientifically flawed” concept that targeted palm oil and “makes no attempt to include broader environmental concerns” linked to other vegetable oils.
Malaysia planned to halt all expansion of oil palm plantations as it sought to dispel the oil’s reputation as a driver of deforestation, said Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok this month.
The EU accounted for 12 per cent of Malaysia’s palm oil exports last year, making it the biggest buyer after India, according to the Malaysian Palm Oil Board.
Indonesia has warned that the EU restrictions on the use of palm oil would jeopardise the nation’s fight against poverty.
The country’s special envoy on palm oil said Indonesia and the EU needed to find a “win-win” solution.
In a letter dated March 8, Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi told EU High Representative Federica Mogherini that palm oil producing countries “may have no choice, but proceed to the WTO”, should Europe approve the restrictions on the use of palm oil.
The EU argues the new measure and palm-oil sustainability criteria are compatible with WTO rules. The new regulation is now set for a two-month scrutiny period when the bloc’s member states and the European Parliament can express objections. If none is received, the measure will be published in the EU official journal and become a law.
“Today’s (yesterday) decision to label palm oil as unsustainable is a breakthrough,” said Laura Buffet, clean fuels manager at Transport & Environment lobby group. “But this is only a partial victory since soya and some palm oil can still be labelled green.”
Forty-six per cent of total palm oil imports into the bloc was used for biofuels, according to data from the EU assembly.
Under the measure adopted by the commission on Wednesday, palm oil was classified as “unsustainable”.
There were some exemptions designed to placate producer countries, such as the possibility to count under the EU green goals palm oil coming from small farms.
The EU decided to set a limit on the size of those farms at 2ha, which was the lower end of the two- to five-hectare range it considered when drafting the regulation.