Deforestation-free
Under the EUDR, deforestation-free means that relevant products contain, were fed with or were made using commodities produced on land not subject to deforestation after 31 December 2020, and that any wood was harvested without inducing forest degradation after that date.
Also known as: deforestation-free products · DF
Why does it matter?
Being deforestation-free is the first of three conditions for placing a product on the EU market under Article 3 of the EUDR. The other two are the legality requirement and coverage by a due diligence statement or simplified declaration.
How do companies demonstrate it?
Operators need “adequately conclusive and verifiable information” that the products are deforestation-free (Article 9(1)(g)). In practice:
- Geolocate every plot of land that produced the commodity.
- Check each plot against a 2020 forest baseline and for deforestation since the cut-off date.
- Keep products from non-compliant or unassessed plots out of compliant flows through segregation and chain-of-custody controls.
- Keep the evidence for five years.
Common pitfalls
- Declaring a whole cooperative deforestation-free based on a sample of plots.
- Accepting a map result without checking plot geometry quality.
- Losing the link between compliant plots and the physical product at aggregation.
Farmer1st provides plot-level risk signals and audit-ready geolocation data so the claim can be traced back to each farm, through its EUDR compliance service.
Frequently asked questions
Is deforestation-free the same as zero-deforestation or sustainable?
No. It is a legal test with a fixed date and definitions. Company zero-deforestation commitments, certification standards and sustainability claims can use other dates, definitions or ecosystems.
Is a product deforestation-free if one plot in the lot is not?
No. Any deforestation or forest degradation on a given plot disqualifies all commodities and products from that plot (Article 9(1)(d)). If they are mixed into a lot, the lot cannot be declared compliant.
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