Update – 20 December 2024
The European Parliament and Council have formally adopted the European Commission’s proposal to delay the start date of EUDR by 12-months. The EUDR will now apply from 30 December 2025 for large companies, and from 30 June 2026 for micro and small enterprises. The additional time has been described by the European Commission as a phasing-in period to ensure proper and effective implementation of the EUDR.
The delay does not change the requirements of the EUDR for producers and exporters. In the context of the general review of the EUDR expected no later than 30 June 2028, the European Commission has agreed to analyse additional measures to simplify and reduce the administrative burden for companies.
Details of the announcement – European Parliament
Further information on implementation of the EUDR can be found here:
Information for the general public – European Commission
Guidance document
Guidance Document for Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 on Deforestation-Free Products [PDF, 826KB]
The guidance is divided into 11 chapters covering a range of issues such as legality requirements and clarification on critical definitions such as 'agricultural use', 'forest’ and ‘operator' and on product scope.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
For more information, refer to the frequently asked questions.
Frequently asked questions [PDF, 723KB]
Obligations for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
Obligations for SMEs operating under EUDR – European Commission
The Information System is now open
The Information System where operators, traders and their representatives will submit their due diligence statements is now open for submissions on a voluntary basis prior to application of the EUDR from 30 December 2025.
The Deforestation Due Diligence Registry – European Commission
What the EUDR means for New Zealand exporters
The EUDR came into force on 29 June 2023. It is a law to ensure that products imported to the EU have not contributed to:
- global deforestation
- degradation of forest ecosystems.
Among the 7 commodities and their related products affected by the law are beef, leather, and wood products.
New Zealand exporters of the affected commodities and products will need to comply with due diligence requirements for their products to be placed on the EU market.
What the EUDR says
The EUDR requires certain agricultural and wood products to be derived from land that has not been subject to deforestation or forest degradation after 31 December 2020.
Operators that trade within the EU will need to complete due diligence requirements before placing these products on the EU market, regardless of whether they are sourced domestically or imported.
Company size thresholds are defined in the EUDR, and are based on balance sheet, turnover, and employees.
What you must do to meet the EUDR requirements
All operators placing relevant commodities on the EU market must have documentation demonstrating that relevant commodities:
- are derived from land that has not been subject to deforestation or forest degradation after 31 December 2020,
- were produced in accordance with the relevant legislation of the country of production, and
- are covered by a statement confirming due diligence has been completed.
This means New Zealand exporters will need to provide information demonstrating that all relevant commodities and products entering the EU market are deforestation-free.
Find out what must be included in due diligence statements
Commodities covered by the EUDR
The EUDR requires producers and exporters to provide information on 7 commodities and their related products found in Annex I of the EUDR.
- Cattle
- Wood
- Cocoa
- Coffee
- Oil palm
- Rubber
- Soya.
The EUDR only applies to products listed in Annex I of the EUDR. Products are not subject to the requirements even if they contain relevant commodities if the products are not listed in Annex I. For example, soap is not in scope of the EUDR even if it contains palm oil.
Refer to Annex I to see all commodities and related products – EUR-Lex
Risk classification of countries are being assessed
The European Commission is assessing country risk levels for deforestation and forest degradation, which is due to be completed 6 months before the EUDR enters into application. Country risk classifications determine the level of checks carried out by EU authorities on operators.
