BEEF producers targeting the European Union market now have less than four months to ensure they are compliant with the EU’s Deforestation Regulations on imported beef, due to come into effect from 1 January.

In fact the process is already underway, with Australian EU-eligible grainfed cattle going onto feed this month already having to comply with EUDR regulations, given the feeding period and the protracted transport time to get product into market, given the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

For grassfed cattle, compliant cattle will start to be processed in around six weeks’ time.

Since 2024, the EU has twice granted 12-month extensions to the deadline for the start of the new EUDR deforestation rules, based on lack of preparedness and administrative challenges.

But trade sources have told Beef Central it would be ‘ill-advised’ for the industry to assume that yet another extension might be made between now and the start of 2027.

“The industry is working on the assumption that the new rules will definitely apply from 1 January,” the contact said.

“Even though Australia is considered low risk, even if only one percent of the eligible properties are audited by the European Commission, we need to make sure Australia does not kick a bad own-goal,” he said.

“Our EU customers are all saying the new requirements are coming, from 1 January,” a second large multi-site export processor told Beef Central on Friday.

Under the EUDR legislation, EU importers must prove that land used to produce beef (and certain other commodities) has not been subject to deforestation or forest degradation since December 2020. They must also show that production followed local laws in the country of origin.

Australian producers and exporters of affected products will need to give information to EU importers to help them meet these requirements.

While there is a six-month dispensation on the starting date for ‘small’ suppliers, for the purposes of the legislation, all Australian beef producers fall into the ‘large’ or ‘medium’ category, where the 1 January deadline applies.

For the purposes of imported beef, geolocation of the property of origin is the primary requirement (one coordinate for each establishment where the cattle have been kept). EU importers will then use this information to submit a ‘due diligence statement’ before the goods reach the EU.

Australia’s Livestock Production Assurance program now provides a geolocation sharing tool so producers can enter coordinates for their LPA Account. Guidance on using this tool is available through LPA.

Other tools are also being developed, such as Cibo Labs’ EUDR Deforestation Assessment Service, to help verify compliance and share required information through supply chains.

Solid early start

The most recent EUDR references on the European Commission website from 13 July indicates that the 1 January deadline remains in place, updating the list of products covered by the legislation and the functioning of the information system for submitting due diligence statements and simplified declarations.

One of the encouraging points from Australian beef’s perspective is that a substantial number of EU-accredited Australian beef producers have already completed their EUDR compliance requirements. There are about 3600 Australian beef producers currently holding EU accreditation, of which about half are already EUDR compliant, Beef Central has been told.

The remaining 1500-1800 must still comply in order to supply cattle intended for the market. Of course, not all will necessarily be intending to turn-off EU cattle between now and the end of 2026.

Hides now excluded

One significant development last year for Australia’s EU access was that hides are no longer included under the EUDR legislation

As Beef Central reported in July, hides were removed from the EUDR legislation, while other by-products, like beef tongues, were added.

As many Australian hides can end up in the EU – either directly or indirectly via hides processors and tanners in countries like China – there was concerns the legislation could cripple Australia’s hides market.

Perhaps more concerning for Australia are signs that the UK Labor Government may be re-aligning with EU regulation in fields like EUDR. Currently no deforestation legislation applies on exports to the UK, but if the UK simply adopts or conforms with the EU policies, possibly as part of a UK/EU Free Trade Agreement, it could significantly broaden the scope of the EUDR process, Beef Central has been told. Calendar year to the end of July, Australia’s exports to the UK have reached 13,400t, up 55pc on last year.

That could include regulation around EUCAS, and EUDR.

EU’s dramatic Brazil decision

Access for Australian beef into the EU will take on additional significance, following the EU’s dramatic decision to ban Brazilian beef and chicken imports from Thursday this week (3 September).

The EU’s ban cites concerns that Brazil cannot demonstrate compliance with EU restrictions on antimicrobial use in food-producing animals. Essentially, antibiotics can be bought ‘over the counter’ in Brazil, and the country cannot provide sufficient guarantees that animals intended for export have not been produced using antimicrobials for growth promotion or therapeutic reasons.

In 2025, Brazil exported 83,000 tonnes of fresh and frozen beef to the EU. Separately, Brazil has access to a United Kingdom WTO beef quota for fresh, chilled and frozen beef of 11,143t. In 2024 imports from Brazil were 8pc of the UK’s total beef imports.

Leading farming organisations and animal health experts in the UK last week called for a similar ban on Brazilian meat imports, in line with the EU decisions.

Brazilian cattle and poultry are feared to be frequently reared with the routine use of antibiotics, after the country failed to demonstrate compliance with EU rules on the issue despite a tightening of some regulations by the government.

• A project is underway to assist more EU-accredited beef producers to complete their EUDR status. More details on Beef Central as the project evolves.