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EUDR moves from talk to action in 2025. Large and medium operators must prove deforestation-free supply chains with geolocation evidence, risk controls, and due-diligence statements. Winning teams combine polygon data from farms with partner onboarding and EPCIS 2.0 event trails to produce audit-ready dossiers that scale across commodities and regions.
Scope and dates: who is in and when
Know your timing and scope first. EUDR applies to cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soy and wood, and the products derived from them. After a one-year phase-in granted in December 2024, obligations apply from 30 December 2025 for large and medium companies. Micro and small companies follow on 30 June 2026. The EUDR Information System is the gateway for submitting Due Diligence Statements. Annual reporting begins after the first year of application. No dates, no dossier, no shipment.
- Check if you are “operator” or “trader” under the regulation.
- Map affected SKUs and ingredient lists to the seven commodities.
- Prepare to publish an annual EUDR report covering your controls.
Practical tip: run a 90-day test on a high-volume SKU to validate end-to-end evidence and system performance before the deadline.
Geolocation evidence: points vs polygons and decimals
Evidence starts with coordinates. Plots larger than 4 hectares must be provided as polygons. Coordinates require six decimal digits to describe the perimeter of each plot. Single points are acceptable for smaller plots and for cattle establishments, but circumferences are not allowed. If it is not polygonal where required, expect a rejection. Keep formats consistent and exportable. GeoJSON helps.
- Use polygons for >4 ha plots and retain the source files.
- Require six-decimal precision for both points and polygons.
- Validate geometry against authoritative basemaps before onboarding.
- Capture who drew the geometry, when, and with which device.
Reality check: pretty maps are not compliance. Store raw lat-longs, device metadata and file hashes so your dossier can be verified independently. Third-party guidelines echo the six-decimal rule and polygon requirement, which supports consistent audits across schemes.
The Regulation will be binding from 30 December 2025 for large operators and traders, while micro and small companies will have to apply it as of 30 June 2026.
European Commission, Access2Markets
Supplier enablement for smallholders and co-ops
Compliance depends on suppliers, not slides. Focus on enablement for smallholders and co-ops that handle cocoa and coffee. Provide mobile data capture that works offline, a standard template for farm IDs, and a simple polygon-drawing workflow with on-device QC. Train lead farmers or co-op admins to validate six-decimal precision and to link farm units to lots and delivery notes. Tie onboarding to incentives such as faster payments for complete dossiers.
- Starter kit: phone app, GNSS guidance, polygon helper, bulk CSV upload.
- Controls: duplicate detection, boundary snaps, photo evidence, witness fields.
- Governance: consent records and versioned updates when boundaries change.
- Readiness: test data through the EU EUDR Information System sandbox ahead of go-live.
If suppliers cannot draw a polygon, you will not ship. Solve the last mile with training, feedback loops and field validation days.
Building the evidence graph with EPCIS 2.0
Make your dossier queryable. With GS1 EPCIS 2.0, every handoff becomes an event: farm harvest, aggregation, mill processing, export, import, and manufacturing. Attach geolocation evidence to the earliest events, then carry references forward using lot IDs and hashes. Use CBV terms to keep vocabulary consistent across partners. This event graph supports both audits and customer claims while avoiding bespoke spreadsheets for each buyer.
- Model transformation events from cherry or bean to batch and SKU.
- Persist links to polygons and due-diligence statements at event time.
- Expose read-only APIs to buyers and certifiers with role-based access.
- Keep an immutable store for evidence, plus a fast index for queries.
No vendor magic. Just standard events, clear IDs and portable evidence. EPCIS 2.0 is already ratified and fits multi-party supply chains where data needs to flow, not hide.
FAQ
Large and medium companies by 30 December 2025. Micro and small companies by 30 June 2026.
Polygons with six-decimal coordinates for plots over 4 hectares. Single points are allowed for smaller plots and cattle sites.
Through the EU EUDR Information System. Prepare to integrate with it and test uploads in advance.
It standardises event data and sharing across partners, making evidence portable and auditable.
About the Author
Liam Rose
I founded this site to share concise, actionable guidance. While RFID is my speciality, I cover the wider Industry 4.0 landscape with the same care, from real-world tutorials to case studies and AI-driven use cases.