A European Commission project to counter deforestation and forest degradation associated with “the making available on the Union market as well as the export” of certain agricultural products was unveiled in November 2021. The “Deforestation and Forest Degradation Regulation” (EUDR) was adopted in June 2023, and was due to come into force in early 2025 for large companies. But in early October 2024, the EC proposed a one-year postponement “in order to assist global stakeholders, member states and third countries in their preparations.” A few months earlier, the Commission had postponed publication of the benchmarking analysis, which classifies countries into three risk categories (low, standard, high). The level of risk should determine the level of due diligence that importers must carry out when acquiring production that may have been associated with deforestation or degradation. Operators may be penalized for failing to carry out due diligence, even if it turns out that the imported product has not contributed to deforestation. The regulation stipulates that, before a product is offered for sale on the European market (or exported), each operator will have to guarantee that it is not associated with deforested land after December 31, 2020, by geolocating the parcels from which it originates using a traceability system. Farmers (and foresters) will have to upload traceability data, including GPS coordinates, which will be compared with satellite images. The indication of plot boundaries is compulsory from four hectares upwards. Cattle ranching is a key driver of deforestation in the Amazon. Image courtesy of…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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