European Union Deforestation Regulation; resolution discouraging the implementation of policies required by.

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To: Rules
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) McCaughn, Suber, Berry,
Seymour

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 3

A RESOLUTION CALLING UPON THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO PASS 1
LEGISLATION PROHIBITING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION 2
DEFORESTATION REGULATION IN MISSISSIPPI. 3
WHEREAS, in 2023, the European Union passed the European 4
Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which requires operators 5
and traders to prove that commodities like cattle, coffee, cocoa, 6
palm oil, soy, rubber, and timber, along with derivatives of these 7
commodities, are not linked to deforestation or forest degradation 8
when placed on the European Union (EU) market. To prove that 9
market contributors are not participating or complacent in 10
deforestation practices, the EUDR requires operators and traders 11
to prove that their products are deforestation-free, have been 12
produced in compliance with relevant laws of the county of origin, 13
and to submit a due diligence statement that shows the market 14
contributor has checked the origin of the products he or she is 15
trading and ensured that the product meets all of the EUDR 16
requirements; and 17
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WHEREAS, while the enforcement date for compliance with EUDR 18
policies has been delayed several times to allow the European 19
Union to reconsider some of the foundational flaws of the EUDR, 20
and to give impacted industries time to become compliant with EUDR 21
policies, the looming possibility of implementing the EUDR 22
threatens the U.S. economy and the livelihood of countless 23
timberland owners and farmers; and 24
WHEREAS, the EUDR places a great burden on the agriculture 25
and forestry market, and could ultimately prevent timberland 26
owners and farmers from accessing the European export market 27
altogether. In 2024, the EU purchased roughly twenty-two percent 28
(22%) of U.S. hardwood lumber exports, and about fifteen percent 29
(15%) of all U.S. Forest product exports. Failing to comply with 30
the EUDR could result in penalties that span from huge fines to 31
being banned from selling or exporting relevant commodities in the 32
EU market permanently. The EUDR's cumbersome, unworkably 33
technical, and ill-conceived policies will likely tank the global 34
timber industry and drive many small timberland owners and farmers 35
out of business; and 36
WHEREAS, forestry and timber is the number two agricultural 37
commodity in Mississippi, with forestry and timber adding $1.48 38
billion into Mississippi's economy annually. In 2024, 19,008,846 39
acres of Mississippi land was dedicated to forestry, with these 40
acres being divided between 130,000 landowners, and providing jobs 41
to thousands of Mississippians. Enforced compliance with EUDR 42
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policies could decimate the Mississippi Forestry industry and put 43
thousands of timberland owners, forestry workers, and manufactures 44
out of business because of the economic disadvantage the EUDR's 45
policies create; and 46
WHEREAS, the Forest Landowners Association (FLA) criticizes 47
the European Union Deforestation Regulation as a policy that, 48
despite its stated environmental objectives, would impose 49
sweeping, unworkable requirements on U.S. forest landowners and 50
jeopardize market access for sustainably produced American wood 51
products. FLA further supports its position by highlighting that 52
the EUDR imposes unrealistic traceability mandates, and displays a 53
disregard for the structure of U.S. private property rights, which 54
makes the EUDR policies impossible to implement without causing 55
significant harm to the economy. FLA reports that American 56
landowners already manage forests sustainably, replant 57
aggressively, and operate under some of the most rigorous 58
environmental protections in the world. The Forest Landowners 59
Association insists that the EUDR would punish good stewardship in 60
American forestry, not enhance it; and 61
WHEREAS, the American Farm Bureau Federation reports that the 62
European Union is the fourth largest export market for U.S. 63
commodities, purchasing roughly $5.6 billion in commodities in 64
2024. Farm Bureau argues that by pushing for the universal 65
application of the EUDR, the EU is failing to recognize the 66
long-standing position of American farmers and ranchers as global 67
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leaders in sustainable agricultural production. The traceability 68
requirements do not consider that U.S. commodities are not 69
vertically integrated into the supply chain, which creates 70
significant hurdles to providing geolocation data from each step 71
of the supply chain. Farm Bureau warns that even though the 72
implementation of the EUDR policies has once again been delayed 73
until 2026, as long as the regulations stay as they are currently 74
drafted, agricultural and forestry supply chains will be strained 75
as they attempt to comply with the EUDR before the enforcement 76
deadline; and 77
WHEREAS, the American Forest and Paper Association also 78
reports that the U.S. does not contribute to global deforestation, 79
and that the universal application of EUDR policies will cost the 80
U.S. economy billions annually, and ultimately not achieve the 81
EU's stated policy goal. The American Forest and Paper 82
Association voices concerns that delaying the implementation of 83
the EUDR policies does not solve the concerns that the regulations 84
are too complex, cause significant technical barriers, and will 85
cause millions of U.S. landowners, manufacturers, and workers to 86
be put at risk; and 87
WHEREAS, despite the members of the agriculture and forestry 88
industry sounding the alarm about the devastating impact the EUDR 89
policies will have in the American economy, there has yet to be 90
any meaningful action taken in Washington to discourage the 91
implementation of the EUDR policies or prohibit these regulations 92
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ST: European Union Deforestation Regulation;
resolution discouraging the implementation of
policies required by.
from being forced upon American timberland owners and farmers. It 93
is imperative that action is taken on a national level, in order 94
to ensure that the EU is not allowed to cause major harm to the 95
American economy by enforcing unnecessary and overly stringent 96
deforestation policies: 97
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF 98
MISSISSIPPI, That we call upon the United States Congress to 99
forthwith pass, and President Donald J. Trump to speedily sign, 100
legislation that prohibits the implementation of the European 101
Union Deforestation Regulation. 102
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we call upon President Donald J. 103
Trump to take any and all necessary efforts to prohibit the 104
implementation of the European Union Deforestation Regulation 105
policies in Mississippi. 106
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be furnished to 107
President Donald J. Trump, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, 108
Mississippi's U.S. Senators, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, 109
Mississippi's U.S. Representatives, the U.S. Attorney General's 110
Office, and the members of the Capitol Press Corps. 111