Senate Resolution 3

A RESOLUTION CALLING UPON THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO PASS LEGISLATION PROHIBITING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION DEFORESTATION REGULATION IN MISSISSIPPI.

WHEREAS, in 2023, the European Union passed the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which requires operators and traders to prove that commodities like cattle, coffee, cocoa, palm oil, soy, rubber, and timber, along with derivatives of these commodities, are not linked to deforestation or forest degradation when placed on the European Union (EU) market. To prove that market contributors are not participating or complacent in deforestation practices, the EUDR requires operators and traders to prove that their products are deforestation-free, have been produced in compliance with relevant laws of the county of origin, and to submit a due diligence statement that shows the market contributor has checked the origin of the products he or she is trading and ensured that the product meets all of the EUDR requirements; and

WHEREAS, while the enforcement date for compliance with EUDR policies has been delayed several times to allow the European Union to reconsider some of the foundational flaws of the EUDR, and to give impacted industries time to become compliant with EUDR policies, the looming possibility of implementing the EUDR threatens the U.S. economy and the livelihood of countless timberland owners and farmers; and

WHEREAS, the EUDR places a great burden on the agriculture and forestry market, and could ultimately prevent timberland owners and farmers from accessing the European export market altogether. In 2024, the EU purchased roughly twenty-two percent (22%) of U.S. hardwood lumber exports, and about fifteen percent (15%) of all U.S. Forest product exports. Failing to comply with the EUDR could result in penalties that span from huge fines to being banned from selling or exporting relevant commodities in the EU market permanently. The EUDR's cumbersome, unworkably technical, and ill-conceived policies will likely tank the global timber industry and drive many small timberland owners and farmers out of business; and

WHEREAS, forestry and timber is the number two agricultural commodity in Mississippi, with forestry and timber adding $1.48 billion into Mississippi's economy annually. In 2024, 19,008,846 acres of Mississippi land was dedicated to forestry, with these acres being divided between 130,000 landowners, and providing jobs to thousands of Mississippians. Enforced compliance with EUDR policies could decimate the Mississippi Forestry industry and put thousands of timberland owners, forestry workers, and manufactures out of business because of the economic disadvantage the EUDR's policies create; and

WHEREAS, the Forest Landowners Association (FLA) criticizes the European Union Deforestation Regulation as a policy that, despite its stated environmental objectives, would impose sweeping, unworkable requirements on U.S. forest landowners and jeopardize market access for sustainably produced American wood products. FLA further supports its position by highlighting that the EUDR imposes unrealistic traceability mandates, and displays a disregard for the structure of U.S. private property rights, which makes the EUDR policies impossible to implement without causing significant harm to the economy. FLA reports that American landowners already manage forests sustainably, replant aggressively, and operate under some of the most rigorous environmental protections in the world. The Forest Landowners Association insists that the EUDR would punish good stewardship in American forestry, not enhance it; and

WHEREAS, the American Farm Bureau Federation reports that the European Union is the fourth largest export market for U.S. commodities, purchasing roughly $5.6 billion in commodities in 2024. Farm Bureau argues that by pushing for the universal application of the EUDR, the EU is failing to recognize the long-standing position of American farmers and ranchers as global leaders in sustainable agricultural production. The traceability requirements do not consider that U.S. commodities are not vertically integrated into the supply chain, which creates significant hurdles to providing geolocation data from each step of the supply chain. Farm Bureau warns that even though the implementation of the EUDR policies has once again been delayed until 2026, as long as the regulations stay as they are currently drafted, agricultural and forestry supply chains will be strained as they attempt to comply with the EUDR before the enforcement deadline; and

WHEREAS, the American Forest and Paper Association also reports that the U.S. does not contribute to global deforestation, and that the universal application of EUDR policies will cost the U.S. economy billions annually, and ultimately not achieve the EU's stated policy goal. The American Forest and Paper Association voices concerns that delaying the implementation of the EUDR policies does not solve the concerns that the regulations are too complex, cause significant technical barriers, and will cause millions of U.S. landowners, manufacturers, and workers to be put at risk; and

WHEREAS, despite the members of the agriculture and forestry industry sounding the alarm about the devastating impact the EUDR policies will have in the American economy, there has yet to be any meaningful action taken in Washington to discourage the implementation of the EUDR policies or prohibit these regulations from being forced upon American timberland owners and farmers. It is imperative that action is taken on a national level, in order to ensure that the EU is not allowed to cause major harm to the American economy by enforcing unnecessary and overly stringent deforestation policies:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we call upon the United States Congress to forthwith pass, and President Donald J. Trump to speedily sign, legislation that prohibits the implementation of the European Union Deforestation Regulation.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we call upon President Donald J. Trump to take any and all necessary efforts to prohibit the implementation of the European Union Deforestation Regulation policies in Mississippi.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be furnished to President Donald J. Trump, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Mississippi's U.S. Senators, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Mississippi's U.S. Representatives, the U.S. Attorney General's Office, and the members of the Capitol Press Corps.