In May 2025, the Network of Experts on Agri-Food Trade (RECA) in Latin America and the Caribbean launched a technical guide aimed at facilitating the adaptation of the countries in the region to Regulation (EU) 2023 / 1115, which regulates the marketing in the European Union of products free from deforestation and forest degradation.
The document, titled “Deforestation- and forest degradation-free trade: good public and private practices for compliance with European regulations in Latin America”, offers a detailed analysis of best practices, identifies priority actions, and proposes a self-diagnosis tool to assist governments and the private sector in meeting the requirements that will come into force in December 2025.
This joint initiative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) includes case studies in twelve countries and six production chains : coffee, cocoa, palm oil, soy, beef and timber.
The European Regulation aims to ensure that these products do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation, requiring full traceability, compliance with national legislation, and due diligence declarations from European importers. Non-compliance can result in severe penalties, affecting importers, producers, and exporters in the region.
Consequently, the RECA guide addresses the technical and operational challenges posed by this regulation, emphasizing the importance of reliable monitoring systems, georeferenced information, and public-private cooperation to ensure the traceability and legality of production.
The report, of more than 100 pages, is organized into two thematic blocks. The first addresses the value chains of palm oil, cocoa and coffee in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru and the Dominican Republic. The second analyzes the beef, soy, and timber chains in the Southern Cone countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. The publication examines potential trade affected by European regulations, current legislation in countries of origin, identified good practices, key factors for compliance with the EUDR, and makes recommendations for strengthening the region's institutional and productive capacities.
In addition, it includes a good practices index and a self-diagnosis tool so that each country can define specific roadmaps toward compliance with the regulations.
The publication is offered as a tool to support Latin America and the Caribbean—which represents more than 16% of global food exports—in its transition toward more sustainable trade aligned with international standards. Its relevance is reinforced by the fact that the Southern Cone accounts for nearly 58% of global soybean and soybean derivatives exports, with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay accounting for a significant share of this crop, which is essential for their economies. In the case of beef and beef derivatives, the Southern Cone countries once again occupy a central position in global trade, reinforcing the importance of facilitating their adaptation to new regulatory requirements.
(I.e.You are invited to access the publication: https://publications.iadb.org/es/comercio-libre-de-deforestacion-y-degradacion-forestal-buenas-practicas-publicas-y-privadas-para-1
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