(Kiambu) – Coffee farms in Kenya’s Kiambu County are now under review for compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by the European Forest Institute (EFI). This comes as the EU aims to enforce stricter environmental standards, particularly regarding deforestation. Under the EUDR, commodities linked to deforestation—including coffee, cocoa, and palm oil—must not be sold or exported to the EU if sourced from recently deforested areas after December 30, 2024.
The EUDR, passed by the European Parliament on May 3, 2023, mandates that specific goods entering the EU must meet sustainability standards that protect global forests from further degradation. To comply, coffee producers will need to establish a due diligence framework for evaluating their suppliers annually. This framework will certify that coffee products entering the EU have not contributed to deforestation.
Benson Njoroge, Kiambu County’s Chief Officer of Agriculture, highlighted the significance of these new requirements for local coffee producers. Given that seven out of Kenya’s ten largest coffee export markets are within the EU, the regulation poses both a challenge and an opportunity for the industry.
“The European Union’s Deforestation Regulation presents a new reality for us, requiring coffee producers to demonstrate that their products have not contributed to deforestation,” Njoroge stated. “Today’s meeting provided us with a clearer understanding of the expectations, including the use of geolocation practices on coffee plantations to align with regulatory requirements. This is an essential step for maintaining our coffee’s competitiveness in the European market.”
Njoroge noted that the discussions covered key components of EUDR compliance, such as advanced geolocation tools, data collection systems, and risk assessment methods. He emphasized that meeting these standards is not merely about legal compliance but about adopting sustainable practices that will help conserve Kenya’s natural resources.
Failure to comply with the EUDR could result in significant penalties for producers and traders, including suspension from the EU market and fines up to four percent of annual turnover within the EU. Additionally, products and revenues may be subject to confiscation. These penalties underscore the importance of adherence to the regulations, especially for a top-producing county like Kiambu, where coffee production remains a central aspect of the local economy.
The regulation arrives as the Kenyan government works to reform the coffee sector across the nation’s 37 coffee-producing regions. As part of these reforms, Kiambu’s coffee farms are preparing for changes to align with international market requirements.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, approximately 420 million hectares of forest were lost to deforestation from 1990 to 2020, highlighting the urgent need for global conservation efforts. The EU’s deforestation standards aim to address these concerns, making compliance an increasingly important issue for countries with agricultural exports tied to deforestation-prone commodities.
| Key Compliance Areas for EUDR | Description |
|---|---|
| Due Diligence Framework | Annual assessment of suppliers to confirm no deforestation impact. |
| Geolocation Practices | Use of technology to map coffee farms and ensure location-specific compliance. |
| Data Collection | Gathering precise data to demonstrate sustainable sourcing practices. |
| Risk Assessment | Evaluating potential risks linked to deforestation in coffee production. |
| Penalties for Non-compliance | Fines, product confiscation, and suspension from EU markets. |