{"id":2151,"date":"2019-04-16T14:57:33","date_gmt":"2019-04-16T06:57:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.htoilmachine.com\/blog\/?p=2151"},"modified":"2019-04-16T15:07:50","modified_gmt":"2019-04-16T07:07:50","slug":"uk-defies-eu-over-indonesian-palm-oil-trade-leaked-papers-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.htoilmachine.com\/blog\/palm-oil\/uk-defies-eu-over-indonesian-palm-oil-trade-leaked-papers-show\/","title":{"rendered":"UK defies EU over Indonesian palm oil trade, leaked papers show"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The UK is defying EU institutions to push for a hike in nominally \u201csustainable\u201d Indonesian palm oil imports which have nonetheless been linked to deforestation, leaked documents show.<\/p>\n

The European parliament is currently trying to force\u00a0a ban on EU biofuels using palm oil, which have driven deforestation and contributed to the loss of\u00a0150,000 orangutans in Indonesia since 2002.<\/p>\n

A binding \u201cdue diligence\u201d regulation for high-risk forest products would be the \u201cmost effective\u201d way of curbing this forest destruction, according to a draft EU study due to be released later this month.<\/p>\n

But a leaked British diplomatic paper seen by the Guardian calls for a planned EU-Indonesia trade deal known as CEPA to \u201cboost\u201d palm oil<\/a> production.<\/p>\n

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It advocates an \u201cambitious chapter\u201d on sustainable trade, covering \u201cprimarily the production of palm oil\u201d, arguing that global demand for sustainable palm would allow a doubling of the current supply.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo avoid burdensome discussions about the different certification schemes that exist, we should focus discussions between the EU and\u00a0Indonesia\u00a0on our common goals and perspective,\u201d the paper says.<\/p>\n

The government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n

In practice, the UK\u2019s new approach, which is supported by Denmark, France and the Netherlands, would increase Indonesian palm exports, according to Paul de Clerck of Friends of the Earth\u00a0Europe.<\/p>\n