Meeting with EU Ministers & leaders, Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong reaffirms Malaysia’s defence of Palm Oil small farmers
Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong was in Europe this past week to meet with European Ministers and EU leaders, to express Malaysia’s protest against the European Parliament’s plan to ban Palm Oil biofuels from 2021.
The Minister outlined the Malaysian Government’s position, in advance of the forthcoming Trilogue negotiations to finalise the RED, which are set to begin on 27 February 2018. Several European media outlets reported the Minister’s comments:
The Minister stated to the EU media Euractiv:
“We will refer the case to the WTO if Europe forces us to do so”
Read the full interview in Euractiv here: Minister: Malaysia Will Retaliate Against EU Goods in Case of Palm Oil Ban
The UK’s Telegraph reported the Minister’s comments on UK-Malaysia relations:
The Minister emphasised his position on the German Radio DeutschlandRadio:
The visit was highly successful. The Minister secured the commitment from several EU Member States that they will oppose the ban on Palm Oil biofuels.
The Spanish Government agreed that the “RED ban on Palm Oil by 2021 was not in line with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) laws and they would not support any discriminatory measures against Palm Oil”.
German Ambassador to Indonesia Michael von Ungern-Stenberg also disagreed with the EU Parliament ban on Palm Oil biofuels.
The Italian Ambassador in Kuala Lumpur also expressed Italy’s support for Malaysian Palm Oil –
Faces of Palm Oil is a joint project of the National Association of Small Holders (NASH), the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA), the Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association (DOPPA), the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (SALCRA) and the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) that seeks to advocate on behalf of Malaysian small farmers. To learn more, visit http://facesofpalmoil.org