EU deforestation regulation (EUDR): what changes for African exporters
Plot geolocation, due diligence statements: how Soycain is getting ahead of new EU requirements.
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) requires operators importing certain commodities into the EU to prove products do not come from land deforested after end-2020, with precise geolocation of the plots of origin.
Key issues
For value chains like cocoa or palm oil, this means collecting GPS coordinates for every supplying plot and cross-checking them against satellite forest-monitoring data — an exercise few smallholders can carry out on their own.
Soycain has begun mapping the plots of the partner cooperatives concerned, drawing on field teams already mobilized for organic traceability, to build the due diligence statements European importers will require.
Tomorrow's compliance is built plot by plot, not at the moment of inspection.
Outlook
This work adds to — rather than replaces — existing organic certification requirements (EU Organic, NOP, JAS): a single lot may now need both an organic certificate and an EUDR compliance file.
Getting ahead of this dual requirement secures partner producers' access to European markets, at a time when several operators are only now discovering the scale of the work just months before the deadline.
