The EU Deforestation regulations due to come into effect on 30 December 2024 may be deferred. There has been a proposal to change the implementation date of the regulations to 30 December 2025.

The objective of this regulation is to minimise the EU’s contribution to global deforestation

Speaking at the Barnett Hall Conference last week Rachel Connor of Barnett Hall told the audience that the proposal came as the supply chain is not prepared for the regulations and that 2025 could be used as a phase-in period.

R&H Hall imported a pilot shipment of soya in January 2024 to test the regulations and see if the shipment met criteria.

Soybean meal

The new regulations will mean animal feed fed to beef cattle does not contain any products produced on land deforested after 31 December 2020. For example, animals cannot be fed soybean meal produced on land that was deforested after 31 December 2020.

Compound Feed does not have to be labelled as free from deforestation-free products. The importer of the product has to look after this before it enters the country.

EU deforestation regulations apply to cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy and wood and some of the products they produce such as paper, leather, beef and chocolate. Interestingly, soya hulls are not affected by the regulations. Dairy products are not included in the regulations, but dairy-beef is and will have to comply.

The regulations also work in the EU so deforestation cannot happen in the EU either.

Irish beef farmers will also need to provide geo-tagged locations of their farms and fields to show that they have not deforested land and are in line with regulations here.

In Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has responsibility for these regulations and will be in charge of its implementation and inspections.

You can hear more from Rachel on this week’s Tillage Podcast.