The government has assured all coffee growers, value chain actors, operators, and buyers that it is on track to meet the deadline for the European Union Deforestation Regulations (EUDR). Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Dr. Andrew Karanja stated that various measures have been implemented to ensure compliance with the EUDR deadline.
Among the actions taken is the preparation of a cabinet memo to keep the cabinet informed about Kenya’s progress towards meeting EUDR requirements. Additionally, a committee of experts has been formed to evaluate Kenya’s readiness and develop comprehensive compliance strategies.
Dr. Karanja emphasized the importance of adhering to the Data Protection Act of 2017, noting that unauthorized entities are strictly prohibited from collecting, analyzing, or storing growers’ information. His remarks come just two days after the Council of the European Union agreed on its position regarding the targeted amendment of the EU deforestation regulation, which has postponed its date of application by 12 months.
This postponement will allow third countries, member states, operators, and traders to be fully prepared to ensure that certain commodities and products sold in the EU or exported from the EU are deforestation-free.
This includes products made from cattle, wood, cocoa, soy, palm oil, coffee, rubber, and some of their derived products.
The deforestation regulation has already been in force since 29 June 2023 and its provisions are to be applied from 30 December 2024. The Council agreed to the Commission’s proposal to postpone the application date of the regulation by one year.
Therefore, if agreed by the European Parliament, the obligations stemming from this regulation will be binding from December 30, 2025, for large operators and traders on June 30, 2026, for micro- and small enterprises.
