Field note
7 EUDR file errors that create buyer-review rework.
I ran 57,658 public cocoa rows through TraceReady to test the handoff problem behind EUDR geolocation work. The file had coordinates, but it still surfaced 46,134 point-only plots over 4 hectares, 57,658 rows with missing plot IDs, and 57,658 rows with missing supplier identity.
This is not legal certification, not a due diligence statement, and not customer proof. It is a public file-readiness stress test: the kind of issue list a small importer, exporter, roaster, or consultant can inspect before deciding whether a supplier file is worth cleaning up.
The seven failure patterns
1. Point-only plots over 4 hectares
The public audit found 46,134 rows where area exceeded 4 hectares but the handoff still had point coordinates instead of polygon geometry.
2. Missing plot IDs
All 57,658 checked rows lacked a stable farm or plot identifier in the buyer-handoff view, which makes row-level fixes hard to discuss.
3. Missing supplier identity
All 57,658 rows also lacked supplier, producer, farmer, or supplier-ID fields in the normalized handoff view.
4. Duplicate farm IDs
Duplicate plot identifiers and duplicate farm IDs are routine failure modes in TraceReady checks because one row can silently overwrite or contradict another.
5. Invalid latitude or longitude
Bad ranges, zero points, swapped coordinate order, and empty geolocation cells create cleanup work before anyone can review risk.
6. Missing batch or shipment context
A farm list without batch, lot, shipment, commodity, or origin context is difficult to attach to a specific buyer request.
7. Mixed or broken file structure
CSV, KML, GeoJSON, Excel exports, and pasted spreadsheets often carry the same facts in different columns and geometry shapes.
Sources and limits
Dataset: Colombian-Cocoa-Dataset. TraceReady supplied commodity and country from public metadata, then left missing fields blank when the row data did not provide them.
Rule reference: the EU EUDR FAQ explains that plots over 4 hectares for relevant commodities other than cattle require polygon geolocation. TraceReady uses that as an operational readiness check, not as a legal conclusion.
Post-ready summary
I analyzed 57,658 public cocoa farm-location rows. The practical surprise was not missing coordinates; it was that coordinate-heavy files can still be bad buyer handoffs: 46,134 point-only plots over 4 hectares, 57,658 missing plot IDs, and 57,658 missing supplier identities. TraceReady is built for that narrow cleanup step: show the issue list in the browser, then clean the file only if the rework is real.
Permanent link: /field-notes/eudr-file-errors/. TraceReady is operated by Passive Print Labs LLC. This field note is operational file-readiness commentary only.