The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) is launching an AIC Sustainable Commodities Scheme (ASCS) next week to help all feed sector businesses meet the requirements of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and the UK Soya Manifesto.
This new initiative supporting the transition to deforestation-free supply chains across the UK and Northern Ireland will be launched on 8 December 2025.
The EUDR will require importers of soya and a range of other commodities demonstrate that they have not been produced on deforested land to be sold in the EU.
Originally due to come into force at the end of 2024, it has already been delayed for a year. Its final implementation date remains unknown, after the EU parliament recently voted in favour of a further one-year delay, giving large operators and traders until December 30, 2026, to comply and micro- and small enterprises until June 30, 2027, alongside a simplification of the requirements.
The proposed delay, which needs to be agreed with EU member states, is intended to guarantee a smooth transition and strengthen the IT system used to make electronic due diligence statements.
AIC said it is clear that EUDR will have direct implications for businesses in Northern Ireland, where the regulation will apply, and indirect implications for businesses in Great Britain. From 2026, it is expected that some processors and retailers who are signatories to the UK Soya Manifesto may seek to specify EUDR-aligned feed.
Over the past two and a half years, AIC has played a pivotal role in providing interpretation and insight to Members and stakeholders across supply chains on the implications of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
The AIC Sustainable Commodities Scheme
Developed in response to member and market requests, the ASCS offers a single, feed industry-developed certification scheme that satisfies Soya Manifesto requirements and removes the need for businesses to comply with multiple, non-harmonised requirements from downstream customers.
The Scheme is open not only to AIC Members but also to other eligible scheme participants. It can be applied across a wide range of forest-risk commodities, ensuring inclusivity and strengthening the integrity and resilience of supply chains.
James McCulloch, AIC Head of Feed, said: “The development of the scheme is an important milestone for AIC and its Members in delivering deforestation-free supply chains, while avoiding unnecessary cost and complexity for Member businesses.”
Efeca, secretariat to the UK Soy Manifesto, welcomed the publication of this standard. “UK Soy Manifesto signatories have committed to ensuring soy used in their supply chains is deforestation-and conversion-free but have lacked a mechanism to be able to communicate this clearly across complex, multi-tiered supply chains and verify that soy landed in the UK market meets these requirements.
“This standard is an important step towards this, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with AIC on its successful implementation in 2026, and to discussing the opportunity to extend the scope of the scheme to exclude all land conversion associated with soy production.”
Roll-Out Timeline
The Scheme will launch with two initial modules:
- Module One: For Participants to demonstrate alignment with EUDR from origin to UK – applicable to importers.
- Module Two: For feed mill operators, who will be required to account for the flows of ‘EUDR aligned’ commodities entering and leaving the mill.
AIC and industry representatives have ensured that the standard meets UK Soya Manifesto signatory requirements and allows AIC compound feed Members to maintain a mass balance of EUDR-aligned and non-aligned soya supplies, stored together in a single bin.
- December 8 2025: Launch of the first two modules in the Scheme.
- Q1 2026: Test audits and a communication plan to explain how Participants can engage with the Scheme and its benefits.
- Late Q1 and Q2 2026: Participants can book audits and secure certification.