EU removes leather from anti-deforestation rules following industry pressure

The European Union has removed leather from parts of its anti-deforestation legislation following sustained pressure from industry groups and trade stakeholders.

The European Commission said on Monday that it has decided to exclude imports of leather from its anti-deforestation law after ‌a campaign by industry groups which argued that production does not incentivize the cattle farming that fuels forest destruction.

The EU's decision confirmed a Reuters report from last week.

The anti-deforestation rules are designed to ensure that products sold in the EU do not contribute to forest destruction linked to global supply chains.

The European Commission said in a statement, "The main driver of deforestation is the expansion of agricultural land ‌linked to the production of seven commodities covered by the regulation of cattle, wood, cocoa, soy, palm oil, coffee, rubber, and some of their derived products."

"Under the Regulation, any operator or trader who places these commodities on the EU market, or exports from it, must be able to prove that the products do not originate from recently deforested land or have contributed to forest degradation," EU added further.

The exemption will remove leather, hides and skins from the world-first law, which from December will require companies selling goods including soy, coffee, beef and palm oil into the EU to prove their products did not cause deforestation.