EUDR Simplification: Time to address EU primary producers and industries’ concerns

From agriculture, livestock, forest, forest-based industries and feed to vegetable oil and protein meal, many sectors call on EU institutions and Member States to take the necessary time to address their persistent concerns over the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). While well-intentioned, the EUDR risks undermining the competitiveness, resilience and autonomy of important European sectors if its implementation is not carefully reviewed and simplified.

Since January 2026, stakeholders have repeatedly highlighted fundamental flaws in the EUDR’s design and implementation, including the lack of legal certainty, unrealistic compliance requirements and administrative burdens, including for filing information in the central data repository, that disproportionately affect operators, These shortcomings risk causing market disruption, including supply shortages, increased costs and reduced competitiveness for EU sectors, while failing to effectively address the drivers of deforestation.

The targeted simplifications decided at the end of December 2025 and the one-year postponement of the EUDR’s implementation provided some relief, but many issues remain unresolved. The upcoming simplification review, expected by 30 April 2026, presents a crucial opportunity to address the concerns raised by our organisations in the last months and introduce targeted legislative adjustments that align the Regulation with its objectives while ensuring it is practical, proportionate and implementable in a harmonised manner on the ground.

We urge the European Commission, European Parliament, and the Council to prioritise simplification, to avoid duplication and facilitate compliance, as well as to clarify key requirements.

It is also important to ensure a realistic implementation timeline, for operators to adapt without risking supply chain disruptions, as well as to maintain a continuous and constructive dialogue with stakeholders to co-develop workable solutions that balance environmental objectives with economic and operational realities.

The credibility of the EUDR implementation depends on its ability to prevent products associated with deforestation to enter our supply chains while safeguarding the viability of European primary producers and industries.  We stand ready to contribute to this process and call for urgent, targeted action to make the Regulation fit for purpose.

On behalf of the following organisations:

APAG – Oleochemicals Europe

AVEC -The voice of Europe’s poultry meat sector

CEI-Bois – European Confederation of Woodworking Industries

CESIO – European Committee of Organic Surfactants and their Intermediates

Coceral – European association of trade in cereals, oilseeds, rice, pulses, olive oil, oils and fats, animal feed and agrosupply

Copa Cogeca – The United Voice of Farmers and their Cooperatives in the European Union

EOS – European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry

FEDIOL – EU vegetable oil and proteinmeal industry association

FEFAC – European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation

FEFBEP – European Wooden Pallet and Packaging Manufacturers

UECBV – European Livestock and Meat Trades Union

Find the Joint Statement here