Mighty Earth, an environmental watchdog, has documented a two-year lobbying campaign by US corporations and trade groups to delay and weaken the EU Deforestation Regulation, the world's most progressive forest protection law.
The investigation found that major US firms and trade associations, including Cargill, Bunge, Mondelēz and the US Soybean Export Council, conducted more than 350 meetings to influence the regulation.
The EU Deforestation Regulation requires companies to prove that products sold in Europe, including soy and palm oil, have not caused deforestation. The rule applies to commodities linked to forest loss globally.
Mighty Earth's report documents the scale and persistence of the lobbying effort but does not detail specific outcomes or which proposed changes the lobbyists succeeded in achieving. The Guardian cited Mighty Earth's investigation but provided no comment from the targeted companies or trade groups, no details about the substance of their lobbying positions, and no assessment of whether the regulation was altered as a result of this pressure.
The investigation covers lobbying activity from 2022 until the regulation's final form in late 2023. The EUDR entered force in December 2024 and applies a two-year transition period for compliance.
Cargill, Bunge and other commodity traders have significant financial exposure to deforestation regulations because they source agricultural products from regions where forest clearing occurs. The soybean council's involvement reflects concerns within the US agricultural export sector about market access to the EU.
Mighty Earth frames the lobbying effort as an attempt by US corporations to avoid compliance costs and maintain market access to deforestation-linked commodities. The Guardian presented the group's findings without independent verification of the scale or effectiveness of the lobbying campaign or detailed responses from the companies involved.