Focusing immediately on illegal deforestation
In recent years, major markets have increasingly introduced requirements to limit risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with goods in international supply chains. European Union's Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is one of the first important policies in this direction, setting new requirements for supply chain assessment, legality, traceability and geographic information of production areas. Along with EU market, UK is also developing its own approach to reduce risk of deforestation associated with consumer goods in the UK market.
At the webinar “UK Anti-Deforestation Regulation Update” organized by EUDR Forestry Network on September 11th, Tom Alpe, Trade Policy Advisor at UK International Forestry Unit, shared the latest information on the UK Government's approach.
According to Mr. Alpe, international markets are shifting towards increased trade in traceable, legally and sustainably produced agricultural and forestry products. UK believes that supply chain due diligence measures are a crucial part of this process, meeting need for clearer and more transparent regulations. Under approach announced by UK Government on June 23rd, EUDR regulation will be applied in Northern Ireland from December 30th, 2026, at the same time as the rest of EU. Meanwhile, Great Britain, comprising England, Scotland and Wales will adopt a separate but related approach to EUDR.
In Great Britain, UK government plans to implement a mandatory assessment mechanism for import of certain agricultural products to ensure that goods are produced in accordance with laws of producing country. Proposed policy covers seven core product groups, similar to EUDR, including livestock products, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soybeans and timber. Enterprises with annual revenues of £1 million or more will be subject to the regulations. Enterprises subject to the regulations must ensure that their goods are produced in accordance with the laws of the producing country, establish an assessment system and submit annual reports.
Notably, in the initial phase, Great Britain's regulations will focus on illegal deforestation, rather than immediately applying non-deforestation requirement as in the EUDR. Assessment will be based on relevant laws of the country where the goods are produced. British government has stated that in the long term it remains committed to a standard that does not cause deforestation but will implement it in stages.
According to Tom Alpe, enterprises will have to collect and store geolocation data and share this information throughout supply chain. The goal is to improve traceability while creating a certain degree of compatibility in data standards between businesses operating in UK and EU markets.
However, UK government does not intend to apply some features of EUDR in the initial phase. Specifically, UK does not require immediate non-deforestation; does not classify risks by country; businesses in Great Britain with revenues under £1 million are exempt; no new customs controls or border checks are applied to imports; and no Declaration of Determinations (DDS) is required at the time goods enter Great Britain.
Creating room for businesses to use EUDR system
Despite these differences, UK government still aims for Great Britain's system to be operationally compatible with the EUDR. Accordingly, enterprises can utilize existing EUDR compliance systems developed by enterprises and its trading partners. UK government is also committed to ensuring that systems built to meet EUDR requirements can be used similarly to meet UK regulations.
Tom Alpe stated that these are two different policies, so EUDR compliance does not automatically mean compliance with Great Britain regulations. However, UK's goal is for businesses to essentially gather the same set of information, avoiding need to build entirely new systems. “What enterprises are doing now to prepare for EUDR will put them in a very good position when Great Britain's policy is implemented”, Tom Alpe emphasized.
Notably, UK government is preparing for a public consultation process on the proposed policy. According to Tom Alpe, this process is expected to begin later this year. Stakeholders will have opportunity to contribute their opinions on the policy and UK hopes to continue engaging with partners during consultation and implementation process.
Regarding timeline, the policy is currently in development phase. This will be followed by finalization of relevant legal documents and guidelines, expected to be used in 2027, before implementation, projected for 2028. However, timelines for later stages may change as policy continues to be refined.
For Vietnam, UK's proactive consultation with stakeholders is seen as an opportunity for regulatory agencies, associations and enterprises to share best practices on supply chains, traceability systems and data provision capabilities. During consultation and implementation process, receiving feedback from stakeholders will help policy-making team identify emerging issues and unnecessary information requirements.
Therefore, for Vietnamese enterprises exporting wood, coffee, rubber, and related products to UK, monitoring consultation process and preparing traceability systems, geographic data and documentation on legality of production areas will be key areas of focus in the coming period.
Dr. To Xuan Phuc, Executive Director of Forest Trade Policy Program at Forest Trends, noted that Vietnam is a country with a wood, coffee and rubber supply chain linked to international markets, with EU and UK being important markets. Changes in requirements regarding deforestation prevention and traceability in these markets therefore not only place demands on exporting businesses but also involve producers, raw material areas, traceability systems and information provision capabilities of entire supply chain. Enterprises that meet EUDR regulations will essentially have a good foundation to meet requirements that the UK government plans to implement in near future.
"In context of international markets increasingly demanding measures to limit risk of deforestation and forest degradation in the supply chain, UK is developing its own approach to imported goods. For Vietnam, these changes are particularly significant as wood, coffee and rubber are product groups directly related to this market", Mr. To Xuan Phuc assessed.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn