Can I give a polygon even if the plot is smaller than 4 ha?

Yes. The point is the minimum the Regulation requires for those plots. A polygon gives more information and is also valid.

How accurate does the GPS need to be?

The Regulation asks for six decimal places in the coordinates, not a specific device accuracy. A current phone in open ground is accurate to a few metres, which is enough to place a point inside the plot.

Can I use the coordinates my certification body holds?

Yes, if they meet the same rules as any others: six decimal places, a polygon for plots of more than 4 ha, and they must match the plots that supply your shipment, not every plot in the certified group.

Do I have to publish my suppliers' coordinates?

No. The geolocation goes in the DDS, which the authorities consult. If you pass reference numbers to your customers, they can see the DDS in TRACES. Keep that access in mind when you discuss confidentiality with your suppliers.

EUDR geolocation: when a point is enough and when you need a polygon

For plots of land of up to 4 hectares, a point is enough (latitude and longitude with at least six decimal places). For plots of more than 4 hectares you need a polygon of the perimeter. For cattle, you geolocate every establishment where the animal was kept, and the 4-hectare rule does not apply.

What the Regulation says

Article 9(1)(d) requires you to collect the geolocation of all plots of land where the commodity was produced. Article 2(28) defines how: latitude and longitude coordinates with at least six decimal places, at least one point per plot and, for plots of more than 4 hectares used for commodities other than cattle, a polygon with enough points to describe its perimeter.

The unit is the plot, not the farm or the producer. A coffee grower with two separate plots of 3 ha each has two points, not one 6 ha polygon. And a cooperative is not a plot: its address does not count as geolocation.

Why six decimal places

One degree of latitude is about 111 km. With two decimal places, the point can be more than a kilometre away from the real plot. With six, the margin drops to about 11 centimetres. Many files that come from origin have four decimal places or fewer, because someone copied them from a map or from a spreadsheet that rounded them. The Regulation does not accept fewer than six.

When a point is enough

Plots of up to 4 ha, for any commodity. This is the norm for coffee, cocoa and much of the rubber and palm from smallholders. A 1.8 ha coffee farm in Huila takes one point.

The point has to be inside the plot. The sensible way is to take it in the centre, with a phone or a GPS on the ground, not at the producer's house or on the access road. If you have the polygon for a small plot, you can use that too: the point is the minimum, not the maximum.

When you need a polygon

Plots of more than 4 ha, except for cattle. This is usual for soya, wood and large palm plantations. An 850 ha soya fazenda in Mato Grosso goes with its polygon. If it has several separate cropping plots, you need one polygon per plot.

For TRACES to accept it, the polygon must have at least four non-aligned points and its sides cannot cross. It must also be closed, with the last point equal to the first, as the GeoJSON format requires.

The case of cattle

For cattle you do not geolocate pastures but establishments: every one where the animal was kept, from birth to slaughter. One point per establishment is enough, whatever its area. The hard part here is not the format but having the full history of each animal. More detail on the cattle page.

Common errors

They are almost always the same, and TRACES rejects the whole file for just one of them:

Latitude and longitude swapped. In GeoJSON the order is [longitude, latitude]. A point in Colombia that shows up in the Indian Ocean is usually this.
Coordinates in UTM or another system. GeoJSON uses WGS84 decimal degrees.
Fewer than six decimal places, because Excel rounded them.
Polygons that are open, have sides that cross, or are drawn around the house instead of the crop.
A plot of more than 4 ha declared as a point.
The address of the cooperative, the coffee mill or the oil mill instead of the plots.

How to check the cut-off date

Getting the plot drawn correctly is half the job. The other half is checking that no forest on it was converted to cropland after 31 December 2020. The EU Observatory on deforestation publishes a map of forest cover in 2020 that works as a first filter. It is not binding, but a polygon that overlaps forest on that map deserves a second look with satellite images from before and after.

If your suppliers email you coordinates in spreadsheets, that is where decimal places get lost and errors creep in. In Sourevo, the supplier uploads its plots through a portal that checks the format and the 4 ha rule before they reach your DDS. Before you ask for anything, use the checker to confirm that your CN code is in scope.

Frequently asked questions

Can I give a polygon even if the plot is smaller than 4 ha?: Yes. The point is the minimum the Regulation requires for those plots. A polygon gives more information and is also valid.
How accurate does the GPS need to be?: The Regulation asks for six decimal places in the coordinates, not a specific device accuracy. A current phone in open ground is accurate to a few metres, which is enough to place a point inside the plot.
Can I use the coordinates my certification body holds?: Yes, if they meet the same rules as any others: six decimal places, a polygon for plots of more than 4 ha, and they must match the plots that supply your shipment, not every plot in the certified group.
Do I have to publish my suppliers' coordinates?: No. The geolocation goes in the DDS, which the authorities consult. If you pass reference numbers to your customers, they can see the DDS in TRACES. Keep that access in mind when you discuss confidentiality with your suppliers.