Petaling Jaya – The Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) participated in a Virtual Engagement Session on the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), hosted by the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM). Officials from the EU’s DG Environment and the EU Embassy in Jakarta participated in the briefing, alongside Malaysian business and stakeholder groups.

MPOC remains open to engagement and consultation with the European Union and appreciates the effort of outreach by the EU Commission, and the EU Embassy. However, no commitment was forthcoming on key concerns that have been set out by the Malaysian Government and MPOC, particularly on the subject of defining the criteria and mechanism of the country benchmarking system, as well as details on how technical and financial support will be provided to the producing countries’ small farmers, who are the most vulnerable community affected by the Regulation.

MPOC CEO, Belvinder Sron said “MPOC will continue to support the positions of the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities, including that the European Union must provide written confirmation that Malaysia will not be labelled ‘High Risk’. This is pertinent in the interest of our small farmers and companies.

“Malaysia’s track record on forest protection and sustainable production is clear. Malaysian palm oil is one of the most–certified vegetable oils in the world today. The Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) standard already guarantees Malaysia’s commitment to comprehensive sustainability standards,” she added.

The EUDR will raise costs and erect trade barriers for Malaysian exporters, and the EU’s unilateral demands on small farmers will have far–reaching social and economic consequences for those communities. We urge the EU to expedite critical information on key areas of concern that currently is lacking, to allow producing countries, a comprehensive understanding on the full social, economic, environmental, and governance implications and requirements of EUDR. 

MPOC will continue to seek engagement on the EUDR wherever possible, and we will continue to work with partners to oppose such discrimination against palm oil.