Brazil is classified as medium risk in the EUDR

The European Union published today (22) the risk classification by country under the Deforestation-Free Products Regulation (EUDR). As expected, Brazil, including its coffee production, was classified in the medium risk category.

The classification defines the frequency of audits that European economic operators must carry out in their supply chains. For medium-risk countries, such as Brazil, 3% of traded volumes will be subject to verification. Countries classified as low risk will have only 1% of volumes audited, in addition to benefiting from a simplified due diligence process.

Although Brazil occupies a superior position in volume and traceability compared to traditional producers of specialty coffees – such as Vietnam, Kenya and Jamaica, which were classified as low risk –, Cecafé (Coffee Exporters Council of Brazil) sees room for progress.

According to the entity, the current classification reflects the European Union's choice for national rather than regional analyses, due to technical complexity, time constraints and lack of resources. However, there is an expectation that, in the future, the EU will adopt a regionalized approach, which will allow Brazil to present technical data by producing region, strengthening the position of national coffee.

Cecafé emphasizes the importance of accelerating the implementation of high-resolution georeferencing of the coffee park and fully meeting the requirements of the EUDR, such as validation of the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and integration with electronic invoices. These actions are seen as essential to prove the compliance of Brazilian coffee with the zero deforestation criteria, whose cut-off date is December 2020.

The entity states that it will continue to work with European authorities, providing technical information and promoting transparency in the Brazilian production chain, with the aim of achieving, in the future, recognition of low risk of deforestation for Brazilian coffees.