The European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) has been postponed once again for another calendar year, but effects of the regulation are already being seen with Southern agricultural and timber lands. Forestland owners in the south are being told they may need to sign an attestation stating they will not convert their timberland to pasture or row crop production after timber is harvested. Failure to sign the attestation may bar a landowner from selling their timber if that product could end up in the European Union (EU). Because many larger timber and paper companies do business with the EU, this regulation could greatly limit the number of potential timber buyers in a geographical area or eliminate them entirely.
The EUDR is a regulation passed by the EU back in May 2023. The stated goal of the regulation is to reduce the EU’s impact on global deforestation and degradation by prohibiting the importation into the EU of certain products produced on land deforested or degraded after Dec. 31, 2023.
The products of importance to southern agriculture consist of wood, cattle, and soybeans. Companies importing these goods to the EU will need to certify that their products do not contribute to deforestation or degradation of forested lands. Companies that are in violation of the new regulation are subject to potentially stiff financial penalties, including confiscation of the product being sold, up to 12 months of exclusion from the EU public procurement process, and fines up to 4% of the company’s total annual EU turnover from the preceding year after the fine is assessed. With penalties this large at stake, companies are looking for ways to comply with the EUDR, and the burden is being shared with southern landowners.
Rumley, Rusty. “The European Deforestation Regulation and the Impact on Southern Agriculture.” Southern Ag Today 6(5.5). January 30, 2026. Permalink
