The legislation, which will bar a vast range of goods -- from coffee to cocoa, soy, timber, palm oil, cattle, printing paper and rubber -- if produced using land that was deforested after December 2020, was set to take effect at the end of this year.

Citing "feedback received from international partners about their state of preparations", the commission said it was proposing a delay to "give concerned parties additional time to prepare".

The "extra 12 months" would serve as a "phasing-in period to ensure proper and effective implementation" of the law adopted in mid-2023, it said.

The postponement, which needs to be approved by the European Parliament and member states, will see the law enter into force for large companies on December 30, 2025.

"Micro- and small enterprises" will have until June 30, 2026 to comply, the commission said.

The EU's top executive body had been under mounting pressure to delay the ban after numerous countries inside and outside the bloc spoke out against it.

Germany became the latest nation to do so in September, saying the conditions were not yet there for it to be efficiently applied.

The law has been hailed by environmental groups as a major breakthrough in the fight to protect nature and the climate.

But detractors say it imposes a heavy administrative burden on farmers and firms.