What is EUDR?
The Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) stipulates that you may only place goods and products on the market that do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation. Additionally, they must be produced legally. Products originating from areas that have been deforested after December 30, 2020, cannot be placed on the EU market or exported. On this page, you can learn more about the EUDR: who it applies to and which raw materials and products are involved.
Deforestation and forest degradation
Deforestation means that trees or forests are cut down for agriculture or livestock farming. Forest degradation means that people convert primary or wild forests into planted forests or farmland. When this happens, the biodiversity and the quality of the forests decrease.
Regulations starts December 30, 2024
The EU aims to reduce its impact on deforestation and forest degradation. Therefore, stricter requirements are being introduced for importing products from around the world, as well as for production within the EU and the export of products. Most forest-based products currently come from Asia, North America, and South America. The regulations are outlined in the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The EUDR rules aim to reduce the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions linked to the import and transit of forest products. These rules will apply from December 30, 2024, and for SMEs and sole traders from June 30, 2025.
Which products are forbidden after December 30, 2024 and can not enter the EU?
Products are prohibited if they come from land that was deforested after December 30, 2020. The EU regulations apply to, among others:
Palm oil, cattle and cattle products (such as meat, slaughter waste, and hides), wood, cocoa, soy, coffee (beans), and rubber. Products made from these raw materials are also prohibited, such as: leather, chocolate, paper and cardboard, furniture and car tires.
Wood and wooden products
Who do the rules on deforestation-free products apply to?
What will entrepreneurs need to do to meet the requirements?
The Dutch NVWA inspects all information
Border control
Risico's op ontbossing beoordelen
Wood and wooden products
There are already rules for the import of illegally harvested wood under the European Timber Regulation (EUTR). These rules apply to wood harvested before June 29, 2023, and placed on the European market before December 31, 2027. These regulations will remain in place alongside the new EUDR rules.
The new EUDR-rules for wood applies (used) wood that:
- was harvested on or after June 29, 2023;
- was harvested before June 29, 2023, and placed on the EU market or exported from the EU on or after December 31, 2027.
Who do the rules on deforestation-free products apply to?
The rules apply to all entrepreneurs, traders, and other parties that import products and/or raw materials into the EU. This includes those who want to produce within the EU and then export to countries outside the EU, as well as those who want to sell, transit, or further process these products. The legislation also applies to Dutch entrepreneurs. The rules cover all businesses: large, small, and even sole proprietorships.
What will entrepreneurs need to do to meet the requirements?
When importing and exporting these products, entrepreneurs must, for example:
- Gather information about where the products come from
- Gather information about the producer and traders in the supply chain
- Provide documents and declarations to Customs
The Dutch NVWA inspects all information
In the Netherlands, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) will, from December 30, check whether entrepreneurs are complying with the rules. The NVWA will inspect the (digital) documents that traders are required to have. The NVWA will assess, for example, whether the information about a batch of products is reliable and whether the product can be traced back to the (mandatory) geolocation with coordinates.
Border control
Customs will check at the border whether the documents accompanying the products contain the correct information.
Risico's op ontbossing beoordelen
Het landen-benchmarkingssyteem van de Europese Commissie moet landen indelen in: laag risico, standaard risico en hoog risico. Het gaat hier om de risico’s dat producten in die regio’s niet ontbossingsvrij worden gemaakt of geoogst. Partijen en nationale organisaties moeten producten uit landen met een hoog risico vaker controleren dan landen met een laag risico. De EU publiceert voor 31 december 2024 een benchmarkingsysteem. Met dit systeem kan bijvoorbeeld de NVWA risicogericht de controles bepalen.
Do you need more information? Please ask our a href="mailto:john.janse@top.nl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">douane afdelingcustoms department. They will answer all of your questions.
