EUDR readiness checklist by shipment lot

Use this as an operating checklist. Tick items only when evidence is stored and reviewable.

In this article, a production plot is the land where coffee or rubber is grown; a shipment lot is one export shipment (often one container) those plots feed into.

Due diligence system

• Written shipment-lot data procedure exists and is version-controlled
• Roles are assigned (data collection, shipment-lot match review, statement submission)
• Risk criteria cover deforestation, legality, supplier reliability, and plot overlap where relevant
• Staff who touch EUDR data have been briefed on the procedure

Plot and product data

• Every relevant shipment maps to plot location data (points or polygons as required)
• Production / harvest period is recorded
• Commodity, quantity, and country of production are consistent across documents
• Mixed lots can be traced back to contributing plots
• Suspected plot overlap across buyer files has been checked when relevant

Supplier evidence

• Supplier questionnaires or contracts require shipment-lot-ready EUDR data
• Land-use / legality evidence is collected where needed
• Sector certificates (if used) are verified again — not trusted one-way
• Middlemen links have clear data handoff points
• Incomplete suppliers have a mitigation path (or are blocked)

Statement and retention

• Due diligence statement draft can be produced before goods are placed on the EU market
• Reference numbers and submissions are logged
• Supporting files are retained for at least five years
• Audit trail shows who changed plot or risk data and when

Ongoing monitoring

• High-gap suppliers are reviewed on a defined cadence
• Procedure updates track EU guidance and enforcement practice
• Exceptions (missing polygons, late docs) are documented before shipment

Sources

• Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (EUDR) – consolidated text: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX%3A02023R1115-20241226
  • Article 4: operator obligations (statement + record retention)
  • Articles 8–9: due diligence system + information requirements (including plot location)
  • Article 13: simplified approach for low-risk countries