MEP for the Midlands North West, Ciaran Mullooly has welcomed the vote in the European Parliament in recent days to extend the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by a further 12 months.

By boosting the consumption of ‘deforestation-free’ products and reducing the EU’s impact on global deforestation and forest degradation, the EUDR aims to bring down greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and biodiversity loss.

The European Commission announced the final vote by the European Parliament and the EU Council on the commission proposal for targeted amendments of the EUDR.

The amending regulation will be published in the Official Journal on December 23, 2025.

The agreed amendments aim to ensure clarity and predictability regarding timelines and requirements for economic operators.

They provide an additional year for economic operators' preparations before the EUDR entry into application on December 30, 2026.

For micro and small operators, the period is extended until June 30, 2027, except for those already covered by the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR).

EUDR

The Independent Ireland MEP said: "This decision was essential to allow time for further debate and for necessary adjustments to be made to a regulation which, as it currently stands, is deeply flawed and unworkable in practice."

Mullooly said he has been in consultation with a wide range of industry groups, and it became clear that the EUDR was "ill-thought-out and, in many cases, impossible to comply with".

Speaking from Strasbourg, the MEP said: "If ever there was an example of the unintended consequences of EU regulation, this is it.

"Under such rules, bookshops in Ireland could face closure, as retailers would be required to provide certification proving the origin of the paper used in books."

Similarly, it was identified that the certification requirements for animal feed would not work, as the industry does not have the administrative systems in place to meet these obligations within the proposed timeframe, according to the MEP.

"In those circumstances, a deferral of the regulation was inevitable and absolutely necessary," Mullooly said.

The MEP is now calling for this additional time to be used constructively, starting with the introduction of a new 'zero-risk c'ategory for deforestation.

"Many European countries, including Ireland, would clearly qualify as zero-risk deforestation regions," Mullooly added.

"Environmental protection must be effective and proportionate - not bureaucratic, damaging, or detached from economic reality."