Is coffee ready for the EUDR? Summary
- Coffee supply chains improve traceability yet face persistent EUDR compliance barriers
- Geo-referencing and farm mapping are strongest areas of coffee readiness
- Smallholders dominate coffee farming, limiting data quality, finance and digital capacity
- Diverse national legal frameworks and missing land documents slow compliance efforts
- Fragmented value chains and imperfect data systems increase costs duplication
- Collaboration and farmer support programmes crucial ahead of December 2026 deadline
Following two last-minute full-year delays, the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) has been ‘on the horizon’ for a very long time.
Yet still, barriers remain to compliance. Supply chains for the EUDR’s relevant commodities are often complex, traceability technology is often imperfect and legal frameworks are myriad.
The coffee sector faces many of the same challenges as the other commodities in preparing for the regulation.
Provided it goes ahead by its current deadline of 30 December 2026, how ready is coffee for the EUDR?
Which are coffee’s strongest areas of EUDR readiness?
Since the EUDR was announced, the coffee sector has made significant progress in improving readiness for the regulation, according to the International Coffee Organisation (ICO). Awareness of deforestation issues has increased among farmers, producer countries and local traders, for instance.
Private sector players within coffee have invested heavily in traceability systems, mapping and data infrastructure, both at origin and across value chains. Companies have innovated, and such tools have become more precise as companies learn. Geo-referencing has been a particular point of strength.
Since the first time the EUDR was delayed, at the end of 2024, engagement from stakeholders has increased, says Christian Hohlfeld, public affairs lead at certification Rainforest Alliance.
Progress in coffee has focused on strengthening compliance building blocks such as traceability and geolocation data, although gaps remain for smallholders who need both practical and financial support to provide such information at scale.
Producer organisations on the ground have also shown progress. Such organisations are advancing on farm mapping, geolocation data collection, and deforestation monitoring, Brenda Mariana Huerta García, senior advisor for climate and environment at certification organisation Fairtrade International.
According to Rainforest Alliance, 65% of those in coffee whose supply chains are compliant with its certification are aligned with the EUDR. This has increased by around 40% since last year.
What are coffee’s weakest areas of EUDR readiness?
The sector is still struggling, with several factors holding it back.
One area in which coffee continues to struggle is producing in line with the legal frameworks in the sourcing country, says the ICO. Complying with these requirements can be complex because of the sheer diversity of countries in which the coffee sector operates, and therefore of frameworks it must comply with.
Furthermore, explains Fairtrade International’s García, in many contexts the formal documentation necessary to comply is often limited or absent, despite long-term land-use by farmers. Even when they do exist, farmers often don’t have access to them.
On top of this, progress has remained fragmented and competitive, says the ICO, which has led to high costs and some duplication of efforts. Nevertheless, competitiveness has declined following the EUDR’s second delay in 2025, with companies more open to collaboration. Shared solutions like common geolocation databases are increasing traction as a way to reduce costs and improve consistency.
One of the biggest barriers to readiness is the fragmented nature of coffee value chains. According to the ICO, around 80% of the world’s 25 million coffee farmers are smallholders.
Such farmers often operate with volatile earnings and their access to finance, technical capacity and digital tools is limited. This, suggests the ICO, makes compliance particularly challenging.
Furthermore, consistent issues with data quality remain, explains Fairtrade International’s García, as well as achieving full plot coverage and maintaining reliable data over time.
Finally, the key issue of capacity to comply with the regulation – in terms of infrastructure, of finances, and of skills – remains.
“In coffee, there is a need for more targeted programmes that help these farmers understand and implement EUDR compliance measures”, says Rainforest Alliance’s Hohlfeld.
Overall, while the sector has seen significant progress over the past two years, there are still many areas where more work is needed.
