News from AAFC’s Market Access Secretariat
On October 18th, pursuant to President Biden’s April 2022 Executive Order, the United States Department of State published a Federal Register Notice seeking public feedback on a whole-of-government approach to combating international deforestation, including recommendations for proposed legislation.
The notice includes a range of questions regarding the feasibility of limiting or removing specific commodities from agricultural supply chains, notably commodities grown on lands deforested illegally, or legally or illegally after December 31, 2020.
The notice also includes questions on the scope of agricultural commodities that should be covered in addressing deforestation. According to the USDA, assessments have identified that around three-fifths of deforestation worldwide is associated with seven commodities: cattle, oil palm, soy, cocoa, coffee, wood fiber and rubber.
The Federal Register Notice invites all members of the public to submit comments and answer the questions by December 2, 2022. While stakeholders are invited to submit their comments to the U.S. directly, AAFC will appreciate receiving copies of Canadian comments that could inform future discussions.
Market Access Secretariat
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
E-mail Address : aafc.mas-sam.aac@agr.gc.ca
Government of Canada
