In reaction to the EU initiative on deforestation, the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has issued a statement accepting cocoa’s role in deforestation. Deforestation has become an important issue in the cocoa sector and among consumers in Europe. In the statement, the ICCO pledged support for initiatives that aim to halt deforestation whilst highlighting the need for farmers and farmer livelihoods to be taken into account in any solutions.

Responding to growing demands by politicians and from a growing number of organizations in the cocoa sector, the International Cocoa Council at the International Cocoa Organization recently issued a communiqué about the issue. The Council said it recognized that many ICCO exporting members have in place national programmes and policies aiming at fighting deforestation and favouring reforestation, but also recognized that the agricultural sector is a major driver of deforestation and that the impact of cocoa is significant in certain deforestation hotspots.