Coffee Farmers in Ethiopia Face New European Union Regulations

Ethiopian coffee producers are scrambling to meet new EU regulations aimed at preventing deforestation by requiring geolocation data on coffee bean shipments. The upcoming deadline presents challenges for small farmers who seek support to meet the costly compliance measures.

Farmers in Ethiopia, renowned for producing some of the world's finest coffee, are racing against time to comply with stringent new regulations set by the European Union. These regulations require agricultural producers to document the geographical origin of coffee beans to ensure they are not linked to deforestation. The new measures are scheduled to take effect at the end of this year, compelling coffee growers to provide geolocation data that demonstrates their beans were cultivated on land free from recent deforestation.

Failure to comply by December 31 could result in the loss of access to the lucrative European coffee market—a significant risk, considering that Europe is the largest consumer of coffee globally. The European Union's Deforestation Regulation is intended to promote sustainable agricultural practices and safeguard forests, yet it poses significant challenges for millions of smallholder farmers, particularly in developing nations like Ethiopia, which have contributed the least to climate change.

Dejene Dadi, head of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, highlighted the pressing need for support, asserting, "Of course data is very important to us, but what we are just saying is we need support. It’s very challenging and costly and we don’t have any help." The situation reflects a broader “green squeeze” where environmental initiatives, while crucial for the ecosystem, may disproportionately burden vulnerable agricultural communities.