EU member states back zero-risk category to ease burden under EUDR

A broad majority of EU member states have voiced support for the introduction of a zero-risk category under the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), aiming to reduce excessive bureaucratic obligations for operators in countries with low or negligible deforestation risk. The proposal, tabled by Luxembourg and Austria, received wide backing during the EU Agriculture Council meeting in Brussels on May 26. Industry associations and forestry groups across Europe welcomed the move as a step toward more practical and risk-based implementation of the regulation. The EUDR, designed to halt global deforestation linked to agricultural commodities and timber products ...