European Council agrees to delay EUDR implementation by 12 months
The European Council has agreed on a proposal to postpone the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by 12 months.
It follows plans for a delay put forward by the European Commission earlier this month, with the European Parliament of 720 MEPs now set to vote on the postponement in mid-November.
The proposal needs approval from both the European Council and Parliament to take effect and would give third countries, EU member states, operators and traders more time to prepare for their due diligence obligations, ensuring certain commodities and products containing soya, palm oil, and other specific materials that are sold in or exported from the EU are deforestation-free.
The EUDR has been in force since 29 June 2023 and its provisions are due to be implemented from 30 December 2024. However, if agreed by the European Parliament, the implementation will be deferred to 30 December 2025 for large companies, and 30 June 2026 for small companies.
Certainty needed
In a statement issued today (16 October), the European Commission said delaying implementation will "give legal certainty, predictability and sufficient time for a smooth and effective implementation of the rules, including fully establishing due diligence systems covering all relevant commodities and products".
Commenting on the proposals earlier this month, the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) described the news as "inevitable" owing to a concerning lack of clarity over the policy.
James McCulloch, AIC's Head of Animal Feed, said: "AIC, alongside our European associations COCERAL and FEFAC, support the goal of eradicating deforestation and forest degradation.
"We fully recognise the need to preserve forests while at the same time securing supplies of sustainable raw materials to feed people.
"AIC also recognises the huge amount of resource that importers have committed to comply by the due date, however, the severe lack of legal clarity from the EU Commission presented many challenges for the whole sector.
"On balance, AIC supported the call from our EU associations for a delay of the entry into force. We will now be working hard to ensure that the legislation in the EU is fit for purpose, including how it will apply in Northern Ireland.
"We also will need to consider how the UK’s version of the legislation - the UK Forest Risk Commodity Regulation (UKFRC) - will be implemented and look forward to working with the new Government to achieve this."
AIC Members will be kept up to date with developments regarding EUDR. For the latest information, visit AIC's frequently asked questions webpage on EUDR and the UK Forest Risk Commodities Regulation (UKFRC).
Authors
Oli Hill
As Head of Communications, Oli creates and oversees the content published on AIC's website, emails, Member briefings, print publications, and social media. A qualified multimedia journalist, he previously spent six years working at Farmers Weekly magazine as a Senior Reporter on the arable team, and latterly as Community Editor. More recently he was Communications Manager at Red Tractor.
