While we initially welcomed that a key piece of legislation of the European Green Deal be implemented on time, we recognised and witnessed the critical challenges and market access risks that small-scale farmer organisations were facing to meet the 30 December 2024 deadline.

Fairtrade does not want the EUDR to be diluted in any way. We believe in the objectives of the regulation to tackle deforestation and forest degradation by prohibiting products linked to deforestation on the EU market, however we continue to call for shared responsibility across supply chains when it comes to meeting these goals.

That is why we will continue to drive productive and technical capacity building efforts within our supply chains so that our farmers and cooperatives are ready and able to provide the compliance requirements of our trade partners in the EU markets.

Fairtrade encourages the European Commission, members states, and the corporate sector to work closely with our producers, to gain relevant insights, information, and to provide comprehensive support to smallholders and their organisations so that the costs of compliance are not passed on to the bottom of the supply chain. We further call for the European Union (EU) to continuously engage and consult farmers and producers so that they are not excluded from the EU market due to a lack of resources.

Fairtrade will provide additional information as this matter unfolds.