Update – 8 October 2024
The European Commission has proposed a new regulation to amend the start date of European Union Deforestation Regulation ('EUDR'). If passed by the European Parliament, this will defer the start to 30 December 2025 for large companies, and 30 June 2026 for micro and small enterprises. The delay is a phasing-in period to ensure proper and effective implementation of the EUDR.
Details of the announcement – European Commission
The new regulation does not propose any changes to requirements of the EUDR for producers and exporters.
The European Commission has updated its main information page, which includes many useful links.
Information for the general public – European Commission
Links to some of the key documents are below.
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.
For more information, refer to the frequently asked questions.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) [PDF, 723KB]
Obligations for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
Obligations for SMEs operating under EUDR – European Commission
The Information System will be open earlier
The Information System where businesses will submit their due diligence statements will be ready to accept registrations in November 2024 and for full operation on a voluntary basis in December 2024.
The Deforestation Due Diligence Registry – European Commission
What the EU deforestation regulation means for NZ exporters
The European Union Deforestation Regulation came into effect on 29 June 2023. It’s 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 meat, leathers, and wood products.
New Zealand exporters of the specified commodities will have to follow 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.
Businesses that trade within the EU will have 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
- 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 entering the EU market are deforestation-free.
Find out what must be included in due diligence statements
Commodities covered by the regulation
The regulation requires producers to provide documentation on 7 commodities and their related products.
- Cattle.
- Wood.
- Cocoa.
- Coffee.
- Oil palm.
- Rubber.
- Soya.
Derived products like chocolate are included but not dairy products.
Products are not subject to the requirements if they are not listed in Annex I of the regulation. For example, soap is not included even if it contains palm oil.
Refer to Annex I to see all commodities and related products – EUR-Lex
Risk levels for countries are being assessed
The European Commission is assessing country risk levels for deforestation and forest degradation, which is due to be completed by 30 December 2024. Country risk classifications determine the level of checks carried out by EU authorities on operators.
Find out more
Frequently asked questions and tools for EUDR implementation – European Commission
Implementation of the EU deforestry regulation – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (NZ)
