Agro producers push back on deforestation rules

Getting expensive: A combine harvester crops soybeans in a field in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The EU requirement will apply to a wide range of products, from meat to palm oil, and that will add to agricultural costs at a time when food inflation is once again starting to pick up. — AFP

SAO PAOLO: The world’s largest agriculture producers are pushing back against new European Union (EU) rules that require proof that crops weren’t grown on deforested land, which producers say will add to the cost of making food.

The latest example of the backlash comes from Brazil, the biggest global exporter of coffee and soybeans.