The European Union (EU) will deny entry of coffee planted and harvested in deforested areas into Europe. The move adds to other already conditions. However, this seeks to discourage deforestation and environmental conservation.

Speaking at a stakeholders meeting on EU Deforestation Regulation compliance, Mr Richard Nangasa, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), manager of coffee extension services, said Uganda is expected to collect detailed information, especially on production and locations to determine the level of risk of exported coffee to the environment.

“The [exporter] is expected to mitigate the risk. It is not that when you find the land that has been deforested, then that is the area of risk. The law provides that you have to mitigate the risk and that is very important,” Mr Nangasa said, noting that UCDA and other exporters will be required to present a due diligence statement for each batch of coffee placed on the EU market.

The EU Deforestation Regulation 2023 requires that coffee planted after December 2020 must prove that no deforestation took place before it was planted. Under normal circumstances, this would require every coffee farmer to prove that their farm conserves tree cover but this would be done under at the country level under which Uganda has been allowed to seek compliance.

Mr Nangasa also noted that exporters or the country are required to mitigate risks resulting from coffee planting to forestation through capacity building of the value chain or through establishing sufficient digital infrastructure to mitigate the risk of deforestation.

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