US corporate lobbyists mounted ‘blitz’ to dilute landmark EU deforestation law, report finds

Environmental watchdog Mighty Earth has revealed that US corporate lobbyists launched a two-year effort to postpone and weaken the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which is considered the world’s most progressive legislation aimed at protecting forests. The investigation found that major US firms and trade associations, including Cargill, Bunge, Mondelēz, and the US Soybean Export Council, engaged in over 350 meetings to influence the regulation.

The EUDR prohibits imports of commodities such as cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya, and wood from deforested land. When the ban was proposed in 2003, then European environment commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius described it as “the most ambitious legislative attempt to tackle these issues worldwide ever.” Some US lawmakers have suggested that it should serve as a model for similar regulations in the United States.

Since its introduction, the implementation of the EUDR has been delayed twice, and the original goal of rigorously tracing the origin of commodities has been significantly revised. Some initial supporters of the policy have claimed it has been effectively “dismantled.” The law is set to come into effect in December.

Lobbyists from various countries, including Brazil and several EU nations, have also contributed to the dilution of the regulation. Mighty Earth’s analysis highlights the role of US organizations, revealing that 24 major US companies and trade associations discussed the EUDR in at least 173 meetings with members of the European Parliament and 178 meetings with senior European Commission officials between July 2024 and July 2026.