Certifications of palm oil are not a cure-all

摘要

The Association of German Feed Producers (DVT) takes a critical view of the certification of palm oil required as a condition for import by the Sustainable Palm Oil Forum and German Minister erf Agriculture Christian Schmidt. "We are observing the forest fires and inappropriate land management with concern", stated Dr. Hermann-Josef Baaken, Chairman of the DVT Management Board. "However, I do not see certification to be a cure-all for safeguarding sustainability in palm oil production". Instead, he continued, governments in the producer countries were called upon to establish codes of good practice and principles of sustainability. Obligatory certification right through all the delivery chains could at most make a supplementary contribution to raising awareness and transparency. The path adopted by Minister Schmidt of raising the subject at the Climate Conference in Paris at the end of November could therefore represent an important stimulus on the path to internationally recognised standards.