The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) has been delayed twice and amended once since it entered into force, which has made it difficult to plan around. The position is now settled enough to act on. Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 applies from 30 December 2026 for large and medium-sized operators and traders, and from 30 June 2027 for micro and small operators. The European Commission has confirmed it does not intend to reopen the text again.
What the EUDR requires
The EUDR covers seven commodities: cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood, along with a list of products derived from them. If you place these goods on the EU market or export them from it, you need to show three things. The goods must be deforestation-free, meaning they were produced on land not subject to deforestation after 31 December 2020. They must have been produced in line with the laws of the country of production. And they must be covered by a due diligence statement submitted before the goods move.
Due diligence itself has three stages: collect information, including the geolocation of every plot of land where the commodity was produced; assess the risk of non-compliance; and mitigate that risk where it is more than negligible. The due diligence statement is filed electronically through the EU Information System.
What changed on 13 July 2026
The Commission adopted two measures that complete the simplification package it set out in May 2026. A delegated act updates Annex I, the product list. Removed from scope are cattle hides, skins and leather, re-treaded tyres, soybeans for sowing, articles of vulcanised rubber, conveyor and transmission belts, and aircraft and motor vehicle seats. Added are soluble coffee, certain palm oil derivatives and frozen cattle tongues. The additions carry a later start date of 30 December 2027, so affected businesses get a further year.
An implementing act finalises how the Information System works, including simplified declarations for micro and small primary operators.
One caveat: the delegated act now goes to the European Parliament and the Council for a scrutiny period of at least two months. Neither body can amend it, but either can object.
Does the EUDR apply to UK companies?
Not directly. It applies when a UK business places in-scope goods on the EU market or exports from it, which catches a large number of UK manufacturers and food businesses selling into Europe. Timber and wood products, furniture, packaging placed on the market as goods in their own right, cocoa, coffee and rubber components are the common exposures. Businesses outside scope are still affected. EU customers are already asking suppliers for plot-level data, and that request will sharpen as the deadline approaches.
There is a domestic dimension as well. On 23 June 2026, the UK Government announced plans to bring forward secondary legislation under Schedule 17 to the Environment Act 2021, covering the same seven commodities and applying to businesses in Great Britain with turnover above £1 million. A consultation is expected later this year.
Five things to do now
- Map your product codes against the revised Annex I. Some businesses have come out of scope, and some have gone in.
- Establish your role for each product line: operator, trader or downstream operator. The obligations differ.
- Start supplier data collection. Geolocation data is the slowest part of the process and depends on parties you do not control.
- Run test submissions in the Information System training environment before December.
- Review supply contracts so that data provision, warranties and liability are allocated before the first shipment.
