The cut-off date under the EUDR is 31 December 2020. Land that was deforested or degraded after this date makes the product produced on it non-compliant.
The date is fixed and applies regardless of who later places the product on the market or trades it.
Why does this date matter?
A product can only be deforestation-free if its land of production was not converted or degraded after 31 December 2020. The cut-off date is therefore the benchmark against which the land status is checked.
How is it checked?
- Record the geolocation coordinates of every plot of production
- Assess the land status relative to the cut-off date
- Document the result in the due diligence statement
What does it mean in practice?
Whether a plot was cleared decades ago or only recently is decisive: only land in use before, or unchanged since, the cut-off date can yield compliant products. The geolocation data makes this verifiable.
In short: 31 December 2020 is the line in the sand. Deforestation after this date breaks compliance – proven via geolocation data.