According to industry experts, the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is viewed by many as “unrealistic”, as crops such as rubber and coffee are no longer the primary agricultural drivers of deforestation.
Smallholders Face Heavy Burden
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Experts warn that the new regulation could harm smallholder farmers rather than effectively curb deforestation.
“The new regulation will force many small producers to abandon their livelihoods because they simply lack the resources to meet the traceability and compliance requirements for rubber and coffee,”
said Jean Christophe Diepart, an agrarian geography specialist based in Cambodia, in an interview with Nikkei Asia.
“Only large corporations have the financial and technical capacity to comply.”
Thailand’s Effort to Adapt
As the world’s largest rubber producer, Thailand is making efforts to comply with the new EU standards. The government has established a nationwide traceability network to help over 5 million rubber farmers meet EUDR requirements.
According to Mr. Nakorn Tangavirapat, from the Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT),
“The network will collect and cross-reference information across the entire supply chain. Currently, 95% of rubber-related businesses in Thailand have already registered. The system includes detailed data allowing buyers to trace production methods and origins—from traders and processing factories to plantations and transaction records.”
Implementation Challenges and Loopholes
However, Nikkei noted that such traceability systems may be largely symbolic. In practice, mixing local latex with imported raw materials makes it nearly impossible to track exact origins.
Moreover, the EUDR fails to consider cross-border trade, which is often conducted informally in cash-based transactions between Cambodia and Laos, where accurate official data rarely reflects on-the-ground realities.
The regulation mandates risk assessments based on 14 criteria, covering aspects such as:
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The prevalence of deforestation in a region;
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The impact on indigenous communities;
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Various non-agricultural environmental and social factors.
Experts argue that these criteria are too complex and detached from ground realities, especially in developing countries.
“Too Late” to Curb Deforestation Through Rubber and Coffee
Mr. Diepart further commented that the EU’s initiative to curb deforestation via rubber and coffee controls comes too late.
“The boom period for these commodities ended a decade ago. Today, deforestation pressure has shifted toward other crops,”
he noted.
This raises questions about whether the EUDR, despite its good intentions, can effectively address current deforestation patterns or simply add compliance burdens that penalize smallholder farmers in Asia and Africa—who make up the majority of the world’s rubber and coffee producers.