Italy is asking the European Union to rethink the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) law that could seriously affect its leather sector. EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), is set to take effect in 2026. It’s meant to fight deforestation, but Italian officials say it unfairly targets leather, which they argue is not responsible for deforestation.

Antonio Tajani, Italy’s Foreign Minister and Vice-President of the Council of Ministers, wrote a letter to top EU leaders. In it, he said the rules must be changed or at least simplified. He explained that leather should be excluded because it’s not a real cause of deforestation.

Tajani pointed out that the regulation creates a heavy and sometimes impossible burden for Italian and European tanneries.

“It’s an existential issue for our industry,” he wrote. The Italian tanning sector employs 18,000 people and makes up around 65% of all tanning activity in the EU.

Right now, the EUDR would force companies working with bovine hides to trace and prove where the animals lived for their entire life from birth to slaughter. That’s a big challenge, especially when suppliers from outside Europe don’t have the systems to collect or share this information in a verified way.

His letter follows a meeting held on June 16 with Italian tanning industry leaders Fabrizio Nuti and Piero Rosati from UNIC – Italian Tanneries. They discussed how the new regulation could risk jobs and production in Italy’s tanning hubs.

Italy is asking for one of two changes: either remove leather from the regulation entirely or at least ease the rules for hides coming from countries labeled low-risk for deforestation.

Source – La Conceria