# Cut-off date (EUDR) > The EUDR cut-off date is 31 December 2020. Relevant products are deforestation-free only if their commodities were produced on land not subject to deforestation after that date, and, for wood, harvested without inducing forest degradation after that date. Also known as: 31 December 2020, EUDR baseline date ## Why does it matter? The cut-off date turns a policy goal into a testable question for each [plot of land](/glossary/plot-of-land/): was there forest on this land on 31 December 2020, and has it been converted to agricultural use since? It appears in the definition of [deforestation-free](/glossary/deforestation-free/) in Article 2(13) of the [EUDR](/glossary/eudr/). ## How does it work in practice? 1. Map the plot as a [polygon](/glossary/polygon/) or point. 2. Compare it against a [forest baseline](/glossary/forest-baseline/) for 2020, based on the EUDR definition of forest (more than 0.5 hectares, trees higher than 5 metres, canopy cover above 10%, excluding land predominantly under agricultural or urban use). 3. Check for [deforestation](/glossary/deforestation/) or, for wood, [forest degradation](/glossary/forest-degradation/) after the date, using time series and [satellite alerts](/glossary/satellite-alerts/). 4. Document the evidence and resolve disagreements between datasets. ## Common pitfalls - **Tree crops mistaken for forest.** Cocoa, coffee, rubber or oil palm plantations and agroforestry systems are agricultural use under the EUDR, but global maps can classify them as forest. - **Single-source conclusions.** No map is error-free; convergence of several sources is more defensible. - **Ignoring the production date.** The date or time range of production must be recorded. Farmer1st runs multi-source deforestation assessment up to today for each plot through its [geo and polygons](/services/geo-polygons/) service. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can land deforested before 2021 supply the EU market? Under the EUDR's deforestation-free criterion, yes: conversion before 31 December 2020 does not disqualify a plot. The product must still meet the legality requirement, and other standards or company policies may apply earlier cut-off dates. ### Why do companies need a 2020 forest map? To show a plot was not forest at the cut-off date, or that forest present then has not been converted. A forest baseline such as the JRC Global Forest Cover 2020 map is one reference, alongside other sources and field evidence. ## Sources - [Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (EUDR), EUR-Lex](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1115/oj/eng) - [JRC, Global Forest Cover 2020 (EU Forest Observatory)](https://forest-observatory.ec.europa.eu/forest/gfc2020) - [European Commission, Regulation on deforestation-free products](https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/forests/deforestation/regulation-deforestation-free-products_en)