The European Union will take a back seat to the anti-deforestation law.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, will remove leather imports from the anti-deforestation law, according to officials from the bloc speaking to Reuters on Thursday (30). The decision comes after groups of leather industry representatives argued that production does not promote livestock farming.

According to the source, the exemption will apply to leather (processed and tanned), large hides (bovine and other large animals), and small hides (sheep, goat, and other smaller animals). 

The anti-deforestation law will come into effect in December and stipulates that companies that sell soy, beef, wood, coffee, cocoa and rubber Companies in the European Union need to prove, through due diligence processes, that the products were not planted in areas deforested after 2021.

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.