Industry leaders reject EUDR delay
Major companies across cocoa, dairy, rubber and timber sectors are pushing back against proposed delays to the EU Deforestation Regulation, calling for immediate implementation despite technical challenges.
In an unprecedented move, major corporations including Nestlé, Mars Wrigley, Ferrero and Tony's Chocolonely have publicly opposed delaying the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The coalition argues that postponement would undermine forest preservation efforts and erode trust in EU regulatory commitments.
The joint statement, addressed to European Commissioner Jessika Roswall*, comes three months before the 31 December 2025 implementation deadline. The signatories express frustration that technical IT issues are being used as grounds to delay or reopen the regulation.
Rather than accepting postponement, the coalition proposes recognising IT system failures as force majeure, with a grace period of no more than six months for suspended controls whilst maintaining the implementation timeline.
The companies emphasise they have made substantial investments in supplier due diligence systems, traceability infrastructure, and partnerships with smallholder farmers. A delay would waste these investments and send problematic signals to global suppliers about EU commitment to environmental standards.
As the letter states:
"The proposed delay puts at risk the preservation of forests worldwide, will accelerate climate change impacts, and undermines trust in Europe's regulatory commitments."
The signatories acknowledge that
"clear, predictable, and comprehensive regulations on environmental and human rights responsibilities are important for the EU's long-term competitiveness."
EUDR requires businesses to trace commodities back to specific production areas with geolocation data, conduct risk assessments across entire supply chains, and gather extensive documentation from suppliers. For companies managing thousands of suppliers across multiple high-risk countries, manual compliance processes aren't viable.
This is precisely why automated risk assessment tools have become essential for EUDR preparation.
Factlines has developed a comprehensive EUDR self-assessment questionnaire that addresses the regulation's specific requirements whilst streamlining supplier engagement.
Our EUDR SAQ covers critical compliance areas:
As suppliers complete the Factlines EUDR SAQ, the platform automatically scores responses based on deforestation risk indicators, flags inconsistencies, suggests follow-up questions for high-risk suppliers, and generates compliance reports for regulatory documentation.
This means procurement teams can focus on addressing genuine risks rather than administrative work.
Suppliers working with multiple clients can share their EUDR compliance responses across assessments, dramatically reducing survey fatigue whilst maintaining data quality. This multi-client capability is particularly valuable for commodity suppliers serving numerous EU importers, ensuring consistency across their customer base.
The companies opposing EUDR postponement have invested in compliance systems because robust traceability and risk assessment create long-term value through regulatory certainty, stronger supplier relationships, competitive positioning, and operational efficiency.
These benefits explain why forward-thinking businesses want EUDR implemented on schedule. They've already built the capabilities to comply and don't want delays that benefit competitors who've procrastinated.
Factlines' EUDR self-assessment questionnaire combines legal precision with operational practicality. Our platform enables businesses to deploy comprehensive supplier assessments, analyse risk profiles automatically, and maintain audit-ready documentation whilst reducing the burden on procurement teams and suppliers.
We couldn't be more encouraged by this industry stance. Not only because automated SAQs are our speciality, but because it's the right thing to do. EUDR implementation ensures sustainable production and trade environments in the EU, sending a strong message to allies outside the union about standards for doing business with European companies.
Book a demo today to discover how our EUDR SAQ platform ensures regulatory compliance whilst building more resilient, sustainable supply chains.
*Source: Read the full statement here!
