Major agri-food companies including Nestlé, Ferrero and Olam Agri have warned that repeated delays in implementing the EU’s anti-deforestation regulation are putting global forests at serious risk. Under the law, importers of commodities like palm oil, soy and beef must demonstrate that their products do not cause deforestation; the implementation was due to begin December 30, 2025.
The firms say that postponing the timeline undermines years of investments in compliance, causes business uncertainty, weakens the EU’s environmental credibility, and could accelerate climate change impacts. EU officials blame technical readiness issues — especially with IT systems — but companies maintain they are prepared to meet the original deadline and argue that delay is counterproductive.