In this episode, Scott reflects on the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) through the lens of three decades of work on forest protection and responsible sourcing.

Drawing on his direct involvement in pioneering the world's first corporate No Deforestation, Explotiation and Peatland Clearance (NDPE) commitments with companies such as Nestlé, Golden Agri-Resources, Asia Pulp & Paper and Wilmar, Scott situates the EUDR as both a continuation of — and a departure from — earlier, more collaborative approaches to stopping deforestation.

While welcoming the ambition of the EUDR, Scott raises serious concerns about its implementation. Based on recent fieldwork in cocoa-growing communities in Cross River State, Nigeria, he describes a troubling disconnect: smallholder farmers have little or no awareness of the regulation, are continuing to clear forest to expand production, and risk losing access to European markets without receiving the support needed to improve yields on existing land.

Scott argues that, as a blunt legal instrument, the EUDR risks producing perverse outcomes — including displacement of deforestation to non-EU markets, worsening farmer livelihoods, and potentially accelerating forest loss. He questions whether the regulation sufficiently accounts for land-use realities, customary tenure systems, and the ethical implications of restricting land-use decisions in developing countries.

The episode concludes with a call to learn from the NDPE experience of the early 2010s: bringing companies, NGOs, governments and farmers into structured dialogue, replacing accusation with cooperation, and recognising that forest conservation is ultimately about people as much as trees.

Keywords

deforestation, EUDR, environmental regulation, sustainable sourcing, smallholder farmers, corporate responsibility, traceability, forest conservation, agricultural practices, NGO involvement

Takeaways

• The EUDR aims to prevent deforestation linked to various commodities.
• There is significant pushback against the EUDR from industries.
• Smallholder farmers are often unaware of regulations affecting their livelihoods.
• Traceability systems are crucial for compliance with the EUDR.
• Past commitments have shown the importance of engaging all stakeholders.
• The EUDR's implementation has been delayed multiple times.
• Companies are concerned about the lack of guidance on EUDR enforcement.
• The regulation could inadvertently lead to increased deforestation in some areas.
• Collaboration between NGOs and companies is essential for effective solutions.
• The EUDR must consider the rights and needs of local farmers.

Sound Bites

"Did anyone ever talk to those farmers?"
"It's about people, not just trees."
"The EUDR has very rocky ground ahead."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Deforestation Regulation
04:57 The European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) Overview
09:33 Challenges in Implementing EUDR
14:05 Impact on Smallholder Farmers
19:04 Lessons from Past Commitments
24:46 The Need for Collaboration and Compromise