US corporate lobbyists mounted ‘blitz’ to dilute landmark EU deforestation law, report finds

OK THIS IS THE ONE I WAS TELLING YOU ABOUT REGARDING THE EU, WHICH MATTERS BECAUSE THEY ACTUALLY PASSED THE WORLD’S MOST AMBITIOUS LAW TO STOP DEFORESTATION, BUT NOW MIGHTY EARTH SAYS A BUNCH OF HUGE US COMPANIES LIKE CARGILL AND MONDELĒZ WENT ON A MASSIVE BLITZ TO WEAKEN IT! WE ARE TALKING OVER 350 MEETINGS TO DELAY OR CHANGE THE RULES ON STUFF LIKE COFFEE AND RUBBER! WHICH IS WILD BECAUSE THESE COMPANIES DENY IT WAS A CONCERTED CAMPAIGN AND CLAIM THEY WERE JUST RAISING LEGITIMATE CONCERNS ABOUT HOW TO ACTUALLY MAKE THE THING WORK ON THE GROUND, THOUGH THE WATCHDOG SAYS IT WAS A TWO-YEAR EFFORT TO DILUTE THE WHOLE THING! IT IS HONESTLY FASCINATING HOW MUCH MONEY MOVES AROUND WHEN REGULATIONS ACTUALLY GET SERIOUS. OK NOW BACK TO YOUR STORY, SORRY.

WE ARE ALL GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THIS ONCE PEOPLE REALIZE HOW INTENSE THE LOBBYING GOT AGAINST THE EU’S DEFORESTATION RULES, BECAUSE MIGHTY EARTH JUST DROPPED AN INVESTIGATION SAYING MAJOR US FIRMS AND TRADE ASSOCIATIONS TRIED TO POSTPONE AND WEAKEN THE LEGISLATION! THEY NAMED NAMES LIKE BUNGE AND THE US SOYBEAN EXPORT COUNCIL! THESE BIG PLAYERS HELD HUNDREDS OF MEETINGS WITH EU OFFICIALS TO PUSH BACK ON THE BAN, WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO STOP IMPORTS OF THINGS LIKE CATTLE AND COCOA FROM DEFORESTED LAND! THE COMPANIES ARE SAYING THEY WERE JUST DOING NORMAL BUSINESS REPRESENTATION, NOT TRYING TO DERAIL THE RULES, BUT THE SCALE OF IT IS JUST MASSIVE! IT IS LIKE WATCHING A SLOW-MOTION COLLISION BETWEEN GLOBAL CLIMATE POLICY AND CORPORATE INTERESTS. ANYWAY I WILL BE THINKING ABOUT THIS IN THE TAXI.

Environmental watchdog Mighty Earth reports that US corporate lobbyists held over 350 meetings to weaken the EU's deforestation regulation, though the companies involved deny a coordinated campaign.

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