EU buyers must prove coffee is deforestation-free and traceable to the plot from 30 December 2026.
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115) covers coffee, cocoa, soy, palm oil, cattle, wood and rubber. Regulation (EU) 2025/2650, published in December 2025, delayed it again. Large and medium operators must now comply from 30 December 2026. Micro and small operators have until 30 June 2027.
The coffee must not come from land deforested after 31 December 2020. It must also be legally produced and traceable to the plots where it was grown, with geolocation data. The amended rules make the operator who first places the product on the EU market solely responsible for the due diligence statement. Downstream traders keep its reference number. ODI notes that penalties can reach 4% of a company’s EU turnover, and shipments can be rejected.
Europe matters to Ethiopia: Germany was one of the three biggest buyers of Ethiopian coffee in 2025/26. On 25 October 2026, Capital reported that ECTA says more than 99% of Ethiopia’s coffee farms are deforestation-free. ECTA based this on a national assessment, digital farm mapping, producer registration and traceability work. It was responding to an ODI Global study that raised concerns about readiness.
What this means for exporters
If you sell coffee to Europe, start now. Collect GPS points or polygons for your supplying farms, keep supplier records, and agree with your EU importer on what data they need for their due diligence statement. Coffee that cannot be traced may be refused or discounted.
Source: European Commission Access2Markets, “Delay until December 2026 and other developments in the implementation of the EUDR Regulation” (Regulation (EU) 2025/2650, published December 2025).
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