Mondelez International has called for a further delay to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), saying it must be “workable” in practice.
The regulation is set to take effect in December after already being postponed.
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Under the directive, companies marketing products including cocoa, coffee and palm oil in the EU will have to demonstrate their supply chains are free from deforestation-related impacts.
In a statement provided to Just Food, Massimiliano di Domenico, Mondelez’s vice president of corporate and government affairs in Europe, said in order to “deliver real impact on the ground, the EUDR regulation must be workable, not just in principle, but in practice”.
However, a letter co-signed by rival chocolate makers Nestlé, Ferrero and Tony’s Chocolonely urged The European Commission to ensure “the full preservation and swift, ambitious implementation” of the EUDR.
According to di Domenico, in Côte d’Ivoire, a major cocoa supplier to the EU, more than one million farmers produce cocoa but less than 20% have obtained the EUDR-mandated traceability ID cards, which must be renewed by the end of the year.
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By GlobalData“Without more time to build systems on the ground, compliant cocoa risks being shut out of the EU – harming farmers, increasing costs for businesses, and disrupting supply chains,” the executive warned.
Di Domenico explained Europe imports more than 50% of global cocoa beans and drives 75% of chocolate sales, which means the industry faces heightened risks amid already record-high cocoa prices, adding “further regulatory barriers could undermine the competitiveness of a €70bn ($82.1bn) industry”.
Mondelez, the owner of the Cadbury, Oreo and Milka chocolate brands, issued its call amid what di Domenico described as a “time when the EU needs to step up its focus on global competitiveness and economic resilience”.
He argued a further delay would allow for “legal clarity and simplification” of the EUDR’s complex requirements, ensuring farmers are adequately supported and market stability is maintained.
The delay “would give the cocoa market a chance to stabilise amid record prices and supply shocks – ensuring the EUDR is introduced in a more sustainable, effective, and workable context. We remain committed to working with the European Commission on a practical and effective path forward,” di Domenico added.
The EUDR, announced in late 2021, has previously faced scrutiny.
In September, farming body Copa-Cogeca and meat-industry organisation the European Livestock and Meat Trading Union co-signed a letter with sector bodies from industries including media, packaging and timber.
At the time, these organisations, which represent 22 million EU farmers, argued implementing the EUDR before the end of 2024 was “simply unfeasible”.
The regulation has also encountered opposition from the US government, South East Asian countries and paper industry bodies.
Nevertheless, the letter signed by Nestlé, added: “We are therefore deeply concerned by repeated attempts to delay, revise, or even repeal the regulation. Such moves not only damage the credibility of EU institutions and national governments but also worsen legal uncertainty, increase operational costs, and create confusion. Even more troubling, they send a contradictory message to consumers, just as the demand for transparency and sustainability is reaching unprecedented levels.”
Danone, Barry Callebaut and Olam Agri also put their names to the letter.
