EUDR is delayed. Your traceability obligations are not.

EUDR is delayed. Your traceability obligations are not.

In December 2025, the EU adopted revised timelines for the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Large operators now have until 30 December 2026 to comply, and micro and small enterprises until 30 June 2027. If you read the word "delay" and stopped there, you missed the part that matters most.

The deadline moved. The core requirements did not.

Geolocation of production plots, supply chain documentation and Due Diligence Statements remain at the heart of the regulation. The extra time is time to prepare properly; it is not a reprieve. Rules and guidance can still change, so check the current text of the regulation and the European Commission's guidance before relying on any date.

What the EUDR actually requires

The EU Deforestation Regulation covers seven commodities: oil palm, rubber, cocoa, coffee, soya, wood and cattle, along with listed products derived from them. If your farm produces any of these for a supply chain that connects to the European market, directly or through several steps, your buyers will need information from you.

The central requirement is the Due Diligence Statement (DDS), submitted by the operator that places the product on the EU market. It confirms that the product is deforestation-free, meaning it was not produced on land deforested after 31 December 2020, and that it was produced in line with the relevant laws of the country of production.

What farm-level data do you need?

Buyers will ask for the following, and they will not accept approximations:

• Geolocation of every plot where the commodity was produced: a polygon for plots larger than 4 hectares, and at least a single point for smaller plots
• Land use history showing no deforestation after 31 December 2020
• Evidence that the land is used legally, such as land titles and permits
• Production records: quantities and harvest dates per plot
• A clear chain of custody: who you sell to, and who they sell to

For smallholders in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, the practical starting point is a smartphone GPS app and a willingness to sit down with an extension officer.

Why this matters beyond Europe

The EUDR is a European regulation, but its reach runs well beyond Europe. Malaysia exports most of the palm oil it produces, and part of that trade touches EU-linked supply chains. Rubber and cocoa growers in the Philippines and Indonesia face the same dynamic. The data requirement flows upstream.

Where farm records fit

Fertiliser and input records are not an EUDR requirement as such: the regulation is about deforestation and legality. They are, however, part of the wider farm documentation that buyers and auditors look at. RSPO and MSPO certification already expect records of inputs applied per block and per season, and buyers doing due diligence often ask for well-kept farm records alongside geolocation and land-use evidence.

One clean set of records serves all of these. Documenting your soil programme, for example applications of a soil conditioner such as SoilBoost EA and ground cover established from Mucuna bracteata or Pueraria javanica, adds to the evidence of planned management on cultivated land. The window is open. Use it.