As the deadline for implementation of the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) approaches, suppliers and manufacturers of the seven affected commodities are rushing to prepare.
From deadline day onwards, all beef, soy, cocoa, coffee, rubber, palm oil and wood products, imported into the European Union (EU), must be sourced from sustainable sources. Furthermore, suppliers and manufacturers must obtain certification to ensure the origin of the commodity and prove compliance.
However, while many support the new law and its aim to cut deforestation, the EU has also seen huge opposition from suppliers, manufacturers and even governments. Why? The scale of the task and lack of support.
We look at all the ways EUDR is impacting the food and beverage industry as the deadline approaches.
Here’s the latest…
7 October 2024: Will the proposal to delay EUDR be passed?
Following months of rumours and speculation, the European Commission has proposed a 12-month delay to the current EUDR deadline. So, will the proposal be passed and what does this mean for stakeholders?
The European Union (EU) has come under increasing pressure to postpone the deadline for the implementation of the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and on Wednesday of last week, it cracked.
7 October 2024: EUDR: Inside the guidance
On the day the EUDR was delayed, the EC released guidance, aiming to clarify some of the key elements of the regulation.
Last week, the European Commission (EC) advised a delay by 12 months to the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). If approved by the European Parliament, it would mean that the legislation will now be applicable from 30 December 2025 for large companies, and 30 June 2026 for micro and small enterprises.
This comes after mounting pressure from industry to postpone the regulation, which imposes heavy compliance costs on businesses, which are required to implement traceability through often complex supply chains.
2 October 2024: EUDR U-turn as European Commission proposes delay
The European Commission has backtracked on European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) implementation with a 12-month extension proposal.
Despite remaining tight-lipped in recent weeks about the possibility of a delay, the European Commission has advised in the release of new guidance today the EUDR’s deadline is pushed back a year from 30 December.
30 September 2024: EUDR: Are Unilever, Nestlé, Mars, Mondelēz & Danone ready?
As the clock ticks down three months to go until EUDR, FoodNavigator reviews how ready food and drink giants like Unilever, Mondelēz International and Danone are for the industry-shaking regulation.
Despite heavy protests from industry and country leaders, including German chancellor Olaf Sholz, in the summer a band FMCG behemoths like Ferrero, Mars and Nestlé wrote the European Commission urging it to press on with the 30 December EUDR go date.
30 September 2024: Three months to EUDR – will there be a delay?
The EUDR deadline is now just 91 days away. But is industry ready and will the EU be forced to delay? Here's the latest on the polarising piece of legislation.
The European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) has faced oppositions and challenges from food and beverage manufacturers, suppliers and affected nations since its June 2020 announcement. However, calls to delay and provide better stakeholder support have rise as the deadline countdown tightens.
With criticism still rife, how read is industry for EUDR? Will the deadline be delayed? And what are the biggest remaining challenges?
17 September 2024: EUDR delay calls mount as world turns on Commission’s plans
No fewer than 45 countries, including the USA, and industry leaders have called for an EUDR delay as the sector rattles towards a deadline many have stressed it is ill-prepared for.
Malaysia is the latest territory to weigh into the debate today with Malaysian Palm Oil Council CEO Belvinder Kaur Sron urging the European Commission to “do the right thing”.
16 September 2024: EUDR disaster awaits as industry ‘underprepared’
Europe is ill-prepared for and faces catastrophe if the European Union Deforestation Regulation is implemented as planned on 30 December, with the economy set to take a major hit.
A letter addressed to European Commission heads and seen by FoodNavigator warns of the dangers awaiting food and drink, as well as other industries, if the regulation is implemented this year.
“Many competent national authorities and the majority of companies involved are not yet sufficiently prepared for this transition,” said the letter sent by global consultancy Competere.
“There is a lack of information and clear tools by the European Commission, necessary resources, and time to ensure full compliance with the regulation,” it warned.
27 August 2024: What EUDR preparations or pauses are underway?
As the EUDR deadline gets closer, here’s how the globe is responding
Brussels, do we have a problem with the EUDR? That’s the question Confectionery News posed back in May as the bloc’s director general for Trade called it “extremely burdensome”. It seemed the director’s comments were not a one-time expression of doubt either, as they came mere months after European Union (EU) Commission Policy Officer Zoe Druilhe said there was no ‘plan b’.
18 July 2024: Is dairy linked to deforestation?
Deforestation has been linked to a range of commodities including palm oil, soy, cocoa and cattle. But how close is its link with dairy?
The need to feed livestock drives deforestation. Crops such as soy, which are grown to feed cattle, use large chunks of agricultural land that has been converted from forest.
But why do we need to feed livestock in the first place? The largest reason is meat, the consumption of which will grow significantly as global populations rise.
17 July 2024: Which crops are least prepared for the EUDR deadline?
With the EUDR deadline fast approaching, which crop is the most likely to comply? And conversely, which are predicted to cause the biggest regulatory headaches?
In less than five months’ time, the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will be enforced. That means that as of 30 December, business operators will be required to prove products containing specific commodities are deforestation-free.
They’ll also need to prove that those products – whether containing palm oil, cocoa, coffee, soy, beef, rubber, and/or wood – were grown legally according to the land of production.
Time is running out, and some food crop sectors are in a better place than others. Wood, rubber, and beef aside, which commodity is the most – and least – prepped for EUDR?
15 July 2024: How manufacturers can source soy sustainably: The EUDR and beyond
Soy is under the spotlight due to the approaching enforcement of the EUDR. But how can soy manufacturers ensure that they’re sourcing sustainably?
Soy is a commodity which means different things to different people, due to its range of different uses.
On the one hand, soy is one of the most prominent and widely used commodities linked to deforestation, mostly due to the large amounts of soy grown for animal feed. According to the World Resources Institute, 8.2 million hectares of deforestation were linked to soy between 2001 and 2015. Soy is, therefore, one of the commodities covered by the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which comes into force on 30 December this year. However, production is still expanding, driving down commodity prices in a time when many other commodities are getting more expensive.
10 July 2024: Should maize be included in EUDR?
The EUDR deadline is now less than five months away. But as the 30 December date looms on the horizon, we wonder if there are commodities missing from the list, in particular, maize.
Much has been said of EUDR, the EU’s deforestation regulation, due to come into force on 30 December 2024. But while most of the focus has been on suppliers and manufacturers’ ability to meet the deadline, there has been little discussion on whether EUDR goes far enough to help prevent deforestation. We look at one commodity in particular, maize, to see if it should be part of EUDR and if it might be included at a later date.
21 June 2024: White House urges delay of EUDR
The Biden administration has urged the EU to delay the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) until its "substantial challenges" are addressed.
As first reported by the Financial Times, a letter dated May 30 and sent to the EU Commission from US trade representative, Katherine Tai, US commerce secretary, Gina Raimondo, and US agriculture secretary, Thomas Vilsack, calls for the postponement of the EUDR as US exporters are struggling to be ready on time.
This request follows a letter to Tai from 50 US senators in March this year demanding that the USTR address the potential impact of the EU deforestation law on US paper and pulp producers.
11 June 2024: Just how ready is the cocoa sector for EUDR?
Despite a deadline that is still seven months away, the incoming EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is already driving efforts on the traceability of cocoa supplies. Conversely, the same study found a distinct lack of progress on other critical issues within the sector.
The Retailer Cocoa Collaboration (RCC) – a coalition of 11 of the leading retailers in the UK and EU, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Carrefour and Lidl – has published it latest trader assessment, which has revealed a positive shift towards the traceability of supplies.
The bittersweet report, however, also revealed the disappointing progress in tackling poverty and child labor within the sector.
The report is based on a questionnaire sent to nine global cocoa traders in the RCC Member supply chain to assess their performance in 2023 against a range of social and environmental metrics. Only seven responded, however, the two non-responders were assessed based on publicly available information and data supplied in previous years.
29 April 2024: EUDR: 7 lesser-known ways food operators could be impacted
As food and beverage operators scramble to comply with the EU’s new deforestation law, we round up seven of the lesser-known ways industry could be impacted.
The European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is coming into force in just a few months. From 30 December 2024, business operators in the EU will be required, by law, to prove products containing specific commodities are deforestation-free.
These include soy, beef, palm oil, wood, coffee, cocoa and rubber.
The new law is elaborate, and industry is still getting to grips with its complexities. But time is running out. For those concerned about compliance, we’ve rounded up some of the lesser-known ways the incoming regulation could impact food and drink operators and their supply chains.
9 April 2024: Deforestation unrest: EU policy implementation hangs in the balance after industry pushback
The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is facing major pushback from ministers and trade organisations within Europe, alongside continued pressure from palm oil producer nations in Asia, casting doubt on hopes for a smooth implementation.
The EUDR has long been facing major opposition and protests from producer nations of commodities such as palm oil and cocoa.
And now EU Commission (EC) is facing mounting challenges from within Europe itself.
On March 28 this year, an industry-wide cross-commodity letter was addressed to EC President of the Council for Environment and Minister for the Climate, the Environment, Sustainable Development and the Green Deal of Belgium Zakia Khattabi, calling for ‘urgent clarifications and workable solutions’ on EUDR implementation.
21 March 2024: Palm oil: Report reveals split supply chain strategy to address EUDR
Importers of palm oil and its derivatives, such as palm kernel oil and meal, are devising strategies to comply with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) in the short term.
According to a report by the Palm Oil Transparency Coalition (POTC), which comprises businesses collaborating to eliminate deforestation and exploitation from the palm oil production sector, importers are planning to split their supply chains. Palm materials that cannot be fully traced back to their origin will be directed to regions outside the EU.
The publication outlines how smallholders are likely to face disadvantages and exclusion from EU supply chains as a result due to the challenges in tracing palm volumes back to individual plantations.
19 March 2024: Will EU delay EUDR deadline?
Rumours are rife that the EU is planning to delay the EUDR deadline past 30 December 2024. But is this true, and if not, are suppliers and manufacturers ready?
With just nine months to go before the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) deadline comes into force, food and drinks suppliers and manufacturers are working to ensure they comply, in order to guarantee uninterrupted operations into 2025 and beyond.
However, the EU has come under pressure in recent weeks to address rumours that it is planning to delay the implementation of EUDR, which is currently due to take effect on 30 December 2024.
The rumours appear to have started after a number of countries, which currently supply the EU, began voicing concerns about their ability to meet the regulation deadline and the money it will cost to enforce the changes.
22 January 2024: The race to meet the EUDR deadline is intensifying, so what help is available?
December 30, 2024 marks the day by which supply chain stakeholders, including producers, importers, manufacturers, brands, and retailers within the European Union must ensure they are selling, importing and exporting EUDR compliant cocoa, coffee, palm oil and beef.
Simply put, EUDR (EU Regulation on Deforestation) is an EU directive ensuring that all products on the EU market, and crossing into and out of the European Union, comply with EU deforestation regulation.
This regulation dictates that products containing any of the seven deforestation-risk commodities, including coffee, cocoa, palm oil and beef, must prove they do not originate from land deforested after 31 December 2020.
Companies must obtain certification to ensure their products comply with the regulation.
