Studio EB The rules will ensure safeguards are in place to strengthen labour conditions and close loopholes to curtail land grabbing incidents, says Leena Ghosh, head of human rights and social standards at the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s updated standards aim to improve smallholder inclusion as EUDR kicks in. But decline in credit prices – which growers heavily rely on to recoup certification costs – sparks fears of financial strain.

Growers and traceability platforms at the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil say the compliance portal for EU’s deforestation law – meant to kick in next month – only opened for registration last week and is not fully live yet.