EUDR Explained
What is the EU Deforestation Regulation?
EUDR is a landmark EU regulation requiring businesses to prove their products are not linked to deforestation. It affects anyone trading certain commodities with the EU market.
Effective date
Dec 2024 / Jun 2025
Commodities
7 categories
Cut-off date
31 Dec 2020
Record keeping
5 years
EUDR in simple terms
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is a law that prevents products linked to deforestation from being sold in or exported from the European Union.
If you import or export certain commodities (cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy, or wood) involving the EU market, you must prove they come from land that was not deforested after 31 December 2020.
This requires collecting data about where products originate, including GPS coordinates of the farms, plantations, or forests, and submitting a due diligence statement before trading.
Who does EUDR affect?
Operators
Businesses that first place covered products on the EU market (importers) or export them from the EU.
- Importers
- Manufacturers using raw commodities
- EU producers
- Exporters
Traders
Businesses that make covered products available on the EU market after they've been initially placed.
- Wholesalers
- Distributors
- Retailers
- B2B suppliers
7 covered commodity categories
EUDR covers these commodities and their derived products.
Key dates
31 December 2020
Cut-off date. Products must come from land not deforested after this date.
30 December 2024
Large operators and traders must comply.
30 June 2025
SMEs (small and medium enterprises) must comply.