“The EUDR means a mountain of paperwork"Reality: The EU has been working hard to streamline the proceduresTaking onboard feedback from companies and governments around the world, the EU has proposed several improvements in 2025. The simplified procedures, including lower risk categories, aim to reduce administrative burden by around 30%.
In many cases, the due diligence process requires little or no administrative work or can be performed by a representative on behalf of a company.
Find out more in the updated guidance and Frequently Asked Questions.
"The EUDR is a trade ban"Reality: No country nor commodity will be banned.Even products from countries with a high-risk level can continue to be sold in the EU, as long as the company follows the correct process to prove they are deforestation-free.
Companies will have to prove their products are from deforestation-free supply chains, but this will improve their access to the EU market, create confidence in the consumers, and guarantee the sustainability of their supply chains in the long term.
“The EUDR is a death sentence for competitiveness.”Reality: Companies that comply can benefit from a booming global market.The market for sustainable products is growing. EUDR opens up opportunities for companies offering deforestation-free products and encourages producing countries to further develop their offer.
The regulation applies to all companies selling products in the EU, so it creates a level playing field with high standards of environmental protection.
"The country risk classification is unfair and outdated"Reality: The country classification is based on the latest and most accurate scientific evidence availableThe classification uses the Global Forest Resources Assessment by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which is recognized internationally and is updated every five years.
The country classification uses data from 2020, and will be reviewed and updated as often as necessary.
"The EU hasn’t been listening to concerns about the EUDR"Reality: The Commission took onboard 1.2 Million comments from around the worldBefore drafting the law in 2020, a public consultation allowed anyone, including companies and countries outside the EU, to share their comments and concerns.
Since then, the Commission has continued to actively engage with stakeholders and governments, individually and through multilateral forums.
Global cooperation is the cornerstone of the fight against deforestation.
“Border checks for EUDR compliance will disrupt trade”Reality: Checking that a product is deforestation-free does not block it nor cause delaysAs long as the company submits a valid Due Diligence Statement (DDS) before placing a product on the EU market or when exporting it, no delays will occur and no compliant products will be blocked.
Customs authorities will check that customs declarations include a DDS reference number, showing that a DDS has been submitted.
Other checks will take place before or after a product is exported or imported and will therefore not cause delays.
“The EUDR increases coffee and cacao prices”Reality: Prices are mainly affected by climate change and rising labour and energy costsIncreased drought and the spreading of disease are already reducing yields and, in the long term, are threatening the suitability of key production regions. These pressures lead to a price boom driven by increasing global demand.
Taking action against deforestation is vital to fight climate change.
The cost of complying with the EUDR is negligible compared to these factors, especially as many companies are already meeting traceability requirements.
“The EUDR will harm small farmers in developing countries"Reality: No legal obligations for smallholders outside the EU, and several benefitsMost of the obligations under the EUDR apply to companies placing products on the EU market, for instance the importer, and not to farmers that do not directly sell their products in the EU.
Producers will just need to provide the location (geolocation data) of the land where their products come from. This can be done once, using a smartphone.
The EUDR can give farmers a stronger and more independent position in the value chain, by clearly establishing the origin of their products. This can mean fairer prices, higher incomes and new business opportunities.
"Due diligence is difficult and complicated"Reality: an online system makes it simple to manage due diligenceDue diligence statements are submitted electronically in the EU digital database (Information System). These statements will be checked in the registry and by Member States' authorities.
Submitting due diligence statements with geolocation is the easiest way to prove a product is deforestation-free.
The Information System is designed to reduce administrative burden and increase efficiency.
Customs authorities, governments and large companies can connect to it directly.
The system includes many features to avoid the need for repeated inputting of data.