EU deforestation regulations likely to have little impact on Namibia

The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will likely not have major impacts on Namibia’s economy.

This is one of the key findings of the second day of the Namibia-European Union (EU) Trade and Sustainability Conference held at Droombos Vineyard on Thursday and Friday.

Just 8% of Namibia is covered by forests, mostly in the north of the country, EUDR expert Elodie Ritzenthaler explained.

The EUDR covers seven commodities: coffee, cocoa, palm oil, soy, rubber and derived products, wood and wood products, and cattle and derived products.

Under the EUDR, these goods cannot be exported to the EU if they come from areas deforested for agricultural use after 31 December 2020.

Namibia is the leading African exporter of charcoal, a wood derivative, to the EU, and one of very few countries on the continent able to export meat to the EU thanks to its veterinary cordon fence, according to data presented by Ritzenthaler.

Johnson Ndoshoko, the director of forestry at the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, said these products do not come from deforested areas.

“I am not aware of any products exported to the EU, whether wood products or beef, that come from areas that would fall under the EUDR,” Ndoshoko said.

Goliath Tujendapi, the executive for trade at the Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia, said “the fact that we are exporting from the area south of the cordon fence” means Namibia is a low-risk country in terms of deforestation.

Obligations set out by the EUDR are primarily applicable to the exporters, of which there are few in Namibia.

But these actors may in turn be obligated to perform due diligence regarding their suppliers.

“Obviously, there is an issue of cost associated with this,” Ndoshoko conceded.

Although announced in the conference programme, a representative from the Ministry of Agriculture, Warer and Land Reform did not participate in the discussions.