EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR): What it means for UK meat exports

From 30 December 2025, the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will apply to beef, cattle and cattle-derived products placed on or exported to the EU market. With over 70% of UK beef exports destined for the EU, preparing for these requirements is essential to maintaining continued trade.

It is a major piece of EU legislation designed to make sure that certain products, including cattle, beef and leather are not linked to deforestation or forest degradation after 31 December 2020.

Operators and traders must ensure products placed on the EU market are:

• Deforestation-free
• Legally produced
• Fully traceable through geolocation data

The regulation comes into force on:

• 30 December 2025 for medium and large operators
• 30 June 2026 for micro and small enterprises

EUDR is in response to rising global concern over deforestation, climate change and biodiversity loss.

Agriculture remains one of the world’s largest drivers of forest clearance, and products such as beef, soy, cocoa, palm oil and coffee are closely linked to changes in how land is used.

The regulation aims to:

• Reduce the EU’s global deforestation footprint
• Strengthen international climate commitments
• Support biodiversity protection
• Increase supply-chain transparency and accountability
• Provide consumers with confidence in the environmental integrity of imported products

Because cattle production contributes to global land-use pressures, the EU classifies beef and cattle-derived products as high-priority commodities needing better traceability.

The EU is the UK’s largest and most valuable beef export market, accounting for over 70% of UK beef exports, worth approximately £500–580 million annually. Just over half of cattle currently slaughtered for beef in GB come from the dairy herd.

The introduction of the EUDR represents a significant change in how the UK must evidence compliance across the cattle and beef supply chain.

To maintain access to the EU market, UK farmers, processors and exporters will need to show:

• Cattle were not raised on land deforested after 31 December 2020
• Full lifetime traceability through movement and geolocation data
• Supply-chain transparency supporting EU importers’ due-diligence statements
• Assurance that soy and other feed materials are deforestation-free

Geolocation coordinates will be required for every holding where cattle were raised, in addition to traditional movement and ear-tag data.

Exporters and processors must provide evidence to support EU importers submitting due-diligence statements into TRACES NT.

UK businesses must ensure that soy and other relevant feed ingredients are verified as deforestation-free, requiring closer engagement with feed suppliers.

Complying with the regulations will mean cooperation across the entire supply chain, including:

• Farmers
• Livestock markets
• Transport operators
• Processors
• Feed suppliers
• Exporters

For further information or questions on EUDR, please contact: eudr.enquiry@ahdb.org.uk

• BMPA (British Meat Processors Association)
• Dairy UK
• Livestock Auctioneers Association (LAA)
• National Farmers Union (NFU)
• QMS (Quality Meat Scotland)

Disclaimer: This page provides general guidance only. For full legal details refer to official EU documentation.