04/11/2017 (The Star Online) - PETALING JAYA: Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong has expressed concern regarding the growing anti-palm oil campaign in the European Union (EU) Parliament, during the inaugural ministerial meeting of palm oil producing countries in Indonesia.

In a statement, Mah, who co-chaired the meeting on Thursday, described the anti-palm oil campaign which associated palm oil and rainforest deforestation, as unjust and discriminatory.

“The environment committee (ENVI) in the EU Parliament recently voted to exclude all palm oil biofuels from the EU’s renewable energy market. If the directive is adopted on the legislative level, palm oil would be excluded from the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED), even as other vegetable oils remain included.

“This is a clear case of EU discrimination against palm oil as the ENVI Committee clearly states that competitor oilseed crops will still be allowed to continue operating under the RED, whereas palm oil will be excluded,” he said.

 Mah has also indicated that the Malaysian government will be compelled to respond appropriately, should the provision be confirmed in the final directive.

 “Allegations made by members of the European Parliament on the ENVI committee relating to oil palm’s negative environmental impacts are incorrect and misleading as Malaysia’s forest protection is vastly superior to that of almost every EU member state,” he added.