The Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture rejected the decision of the European Union (EU) to include Argentina on the list of countries with “standard or medium risk” of deforestation. According to the statement signed by both government departments, Argentina should be considered a “low-risk” country.
The European Union made this classification within the framework of the deforestation-free regulation, which implies the prohibition of the entry of products from deforested areas in the last five years. This measure will come into effect on January 1, 2026.
Deforestation risk rating under debate
For the government, this rating could mean obstacles to the commercialization of soy, the cattle sector, and the forestry sector. According to Reuters, companies from high and intermediate-risk countries will have to demonstrate when the products were generated and provide verifiable information that they do not come from deforested lands.
Hernán Giardini, Forests Coordinator of Greenpeace Argentina, believes that the EU’s deforestation regulation is an interesting tool to try to reduce deforestation.
“It will not stop deforestation in the country because part of the production goes to the domestic market and another part to Asia. But, it is a way to make it difficult for those who do business at the expense of the forests to enter the European market,” he told NoticiasAmbientales.com
In the statement, the Argentine government requests the EU to reconsider the decision. It argues that it previously presented a detailed report on the situation of product chains and goods. It also made clear its criticism of the upcoming implementation of the Deforestation Regulation, as it considers this regulation to have “a unilateral approach and represents an unjustified barrier to international trade.”
The business sector also commented on the rating. The Argentine Oil Industry Chamber (CIARA) considered this evaluation unjustified. According to this guild, there are “recent studies that show that the risk of deforestation in our country is negligible.”
Argentina continues with high levels of deforestation
On the other hand, Giardini believes that there are no reasons for Argentina to be considered a Low Risk country for deforestation as requested by the government. “The Forest Law is systematically violated, we continue to lose an average of 200,000 hectares of forests per year. Considering these levels, Argentina could even be at High Risk. A significant part of what is produced there ends up going to Europe,” the activist stated.
According to data from Global Forest Watch, Argentina is among the 15 countries with the highest deforestation rates worldwide. Greenpeace reported that last year, only in four provinces (Salta, Santiago del Estero, Chaco, and Formosa), 150,000 hectares were lost due to deforestation.
The countries considered as high risk of deforestation by the EU are Belarus, North Korea, Myanmar, and Russia. Within the countries considered as low risk, are the 27 EU partners, Chile, Uruguay, the United States, China, among others. While countries like Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, are in the same intermediate range as Argentina.
