Geolocation (EUDR)
Under the EUDR, geolocation is the geographical location of a plot of land described by latitude and longitude coordinates with at least six decimal digits. For plots of more than four hectares used for commodities other than cattle, it must be a polygon describing the plot's perimeter.
Also known as: plot geolocation · GPS coordinates · point geolocation · geo-coordinates
Why does it matter?
Geolocation is what makes EUDR compliance verifiable. Operators must collect the geolocation of all plots of land where the commodities in a product were produced, with the date or time range of production (Article 9(1)(d)), and include it in the due diligence statement.
How does it work in practice?
- Points: one coordinate pair for plots up to four hectares, typically taken at the centre of the plot.
- Polygons: a closed sequence of coordinates around the perimeter, required above four hectares for commodities other than cattle. See polygon.
- Collection methods: walking the boundary with a phone or GPS device, digitising on satellite imagery with the farmer, or importing existing cadastral or programme data.
- Format: the EUDR Information System accepts coordinates by map, manual entry or GeoJSON upload.
- For cattle, geolocation refers to the establishments where the animals were kept.
Common pitfalls
- Points taken at the farmer’s house or the buying centre instead of on the plot.
- Coordinates truncated when passing through spreadsheets.
- Swapped latitude and longitude, or a wrong sign that sends a plot to another continent.
- Polygons with self-intersections or overlaps.
- Plots under four hectares on paper that are larger in reality.
Farmer1st provides AI-assisted mapping from any source, validation and correction of geolocation data through its geo and polygons service.
Frequently asked questions
Is a single GPS point enough?
For plots of four hectares or less, the EUDR accepts at least one latitude and one longitude point with six decimal digits. Many companies map small plots as polygons anyway, because a point does not show the plot's extent for deforestation analysis.
Why six decimal digits?
Six decimal places of a degree correspond to roughly ten centimetres on the ground at the equator. The requirement is about the precision of the recorded number; the real accuracy depends on the device and method used.
Can a postal address replace geolocation?
Only for micro or small primary operators under the simplified regime (Article 4a(5)), provided it corresponds to the plots or establishment. Other operators must provide geolocation.
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