Today, an EU Expert Group will arrive in Malaysia to begin a ‘fact-finding’ mission about Palm Oil. The European delegation will be led by Paula Abreu Marques, Head of Unit for Renewable Energy in the EU Commission’s Energy Directorate, and is expected to include EU technocrats dealing with environment, energy, and agriculture. The delegation is planning to visit oil palm plantations, and to conduct meetings with Malaysian leaders of government, … Read More
France has had a busy political week. French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled his new cabinet team following a third reshuffle of his Government since he took office back in May 2017. This included the appointment of Ms. Emmanuelle Wargon as Deputy Environment Minister.
Ms. Wargon – among her many other qualifications – is the former Director of Public Affairs at Danone, France’s leading Food company. During her time at Danone, … Read More
In our previous blog, the Oil Palm looked into the ongoing preparations from the European Commission to determine which biofuels are “risky”, and therefore should be restricted. Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) criteria as well as High Carbon Stock (HCS) will be part of the calculation that determines which biofuels are “risky”. But that is not all.
The European Commission has raised concerns about the use of ILUC: this … Read More
Malaysia’s Primary Industries Minister Ms Teresa Kok has made clear to the EU in a Politico Europe article published this week that any attempt to implement protectionist trade policies that effectively single out Palm Oil, and favour noncompetitive European oilseeds, will not be tolerated by the Malaysian Government.
Any attempt to impose restrictions on Palm Oil biofuels, or to classify Palm Oil as ‘risky’ is a de facto ban, … Read More
In a visit to Switzerland this week by Malaysian Minister of Primary Industries Ms Teresa Kok, the Minister reminded the Swiss Government and other stakeholders, including the Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research Mr Johann Schneider-Ammann, that Malaysia will not tolerate nor consider Palm Oil being discriminated against in the Free Trade Agreement negotiations between Malaysia and Switzerland.
Minister Kok’s comments were highlighted in the … Read More
The Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) released a statement outlining its clear opposition to the EU’s proposed action that could define Palm Oil biofuels as risky based on supposed scientific calculations known as Indirect Land-Use Change (ILUC) and High Carbon Stock (HCS).
The CPOPC states: “CPOPC is of the view that the use of ILUC to target palm oil would represent a basic violation of the non-discriminatory principles … Read More
The European Commission is now underway with preparations for the latest instalment of the saga surrounding Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) criteria. This time, ILUC is only one part of a wider EU attempt to classify all biofuels, including Palm Oil, according to new ‘risk’ criteria. This will mean some biofuels being classed as “high-risk”, and must be restricted. An immediate freeze would be instituted, followed by a gradual phase-out. … Read More
Australia’s Special Broadcast Service (SBS) has attempted to “clear the air” for palm sugar consumers, by drawing a hard line between Palm Oil and palm sugar, and the differences in the production of each commodity. The author clearly took a pre-existing assumption – that all Palm Oil is bad – and then wrote an article trying to justify that incorrect assumption. The article contains a number of errors, and is … Read More
Today, the European Parliament votes on its Report on the “Transparent and accountable management of natural resources in developing countries: the case of forests”. It is part of the wider EU campaign to denigrate and discriminate against Palm Oil.
The Report is authored by Finnish MEP Heidi Hautala, a Green Party member. She has been assisted by MEP Katerina Konecna, who previously authored an anti-Palm Oil Report in 2017 that … Read More
“Is Palm Oil the new Plastic?” asks a recent media article. Here’s the simple answer: No. The more detailed answer is: No, and it’s ridiculous to even suggest that. This is simply an attention-seeking stunt by anti-Palm Oil campaigners in Europe, mainly elites living in London, attempting to link Palm Oil to ‘socially-unacceptable’ products that the bobo London-and-Brussels Europeans consider ‘bad’ for your health and the environment (i.e. – plastic).… Read More