UK Government commits to introducing GB deforestation regulations & confirms Northern Ireland inclusion in EUDR

It has also belatedly confirmed that Northern Ireland will be included in EUDR and the name of the competent authorities. These authorities are OPSS (Office for Product Safety and Standards) for rubber and wood products and DAERA (Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs) for palm oil, soy, cocoa, cattle and coffee, announced barely 6 months before this complicated legislation comes into force.

The policy paper, on the GOV.UK website states that:

"We aim to make sure GB regulations operate consistently alongside the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR), so as to support the government’s commitment to protect the UK internal market and support export led growth. We also aim to achieve due diligence consistency for businesses working in both the UK internal market and EU single market."

Whilst the UK government has committed to consulting businesses, civil society and international partners on the proposed Great Britain deforestation policy, this will need to happen pretty quickly, given the proposed 2027 implementation date, and it suggests it will lean heavily on EUDR. It also doesn’t help those companies based in or exporting to Northern Ireland who will be required to comply by the end of the year.

There is a great deal of information regarding EUDR compliance on the BOSS website, including official EU Guidance. However, the main advice for suppliers of regulated goods into the EU and NI is to confirm with your supply chain that they are ready to supply the necessary Due Diligence information to enable your customers to comply.