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In June we were happy to see Kenya named as a low-risk country under the upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). With this designation, EU importers will face an easier journey when importing goods from Kenya. This will be most apparent to agricultural exporters - especially those in the coffee sector.

While this should alleviate compliance requirements, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t more work to do. Even if you’re not exporting to the EU, we recommend that companies take proactive measures, early, to get their documentation in order.

Having strong, accurate and well organised documents can help build trust with potential and existing buyers in the EU and beyond.

A bit more about the EUDR

The EUDR is a new regulation aimed at stopping deforestation. It aims to ensure that products bought and sold in the EU do not contribute to deforestation. For now, the EUDR applies to specific categories of products with the initial scope being: cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya, and wood.

The EUDR rules take a long-term view and considers deforestation as far back as 31 Dec 2020. Satellite imagery is becoming a more important part of how the EU determines if deforestation has occurred and so things like mapping the boundaries of where your products are produced is more important.

Although large importers (in the EU) have requirements to comply by 30 Dec 2025; small businesses will also come into scope from 30 June 2026.

What this means for Kenyan exporters? If you deal with a product in scope and have not already started working with your customers to ensure compliance, you may face deeper scrutiny next year as the regulation comes into force.

How to prepare?

Especially for coffee exporters, you will most likely be asked to produce details of your goods before a buyer can accept your products into the EU.

These details include where your farm is (including detailed GPS coordinates), proof that there's been no recent deforestation (using satellite imagery), and evidence you're following local laws while producing your goods. These details are combined into what is dubbed a Due Diligence Statement (DDS) which will be requested by buyers in the EU.

Only 1% of shipments are expected to be inspected because of the low-risk status but if goods are held you will need to produce the appropriate documentation. Not well prepared for this could cause damage to your goods or your reputation.

The Due Diligence Statement (DDS)

The DDS is a form your EU buyer submits online (via the EU TRACES system) to prove your product is deforestation-free. You as the producer will need to provide the details that the buyer submits in the form of a due diligence statement. It covers stuff like product details (coffee type, amount), farm location (coordinates for small or big plots), harvest dates, your contact info (name, address, email), business entity details, and proof that you legally produced the goods.

The good news: documents you already have, like KEPHIS phytosanitary certificates or pesticide tests meeting EU limits, can double as proof of following Kenyan laws (and legality), cutting down extra work.

Getting Your DDS Ready: Easy Steps

Getting the data is the hard part but setting up the DDS is more simple. We recommend you set up a simple digital “data room” to store and share info about your products. Here’s how:

• Make use of Google Sheets to organise everything: one tab for farm coordinates, one for your details (business name, address, email), one for coffee info (e.g., 500 kg of green beans), and one for linking certs.

• Use Google Earth to grab your farm’s coordinates - drop a pin for small farms (≤4 ha) or outline bigger ones. Add these into your Sheet (e.g., -1.174, 36.830).

• Gather any supplier info you have (yours and any farmers you source from) and upload certs (like KEPHIS docs) to Google Drive. Link them all in your Google Sheet.

• When requested, you can share the sheet with buyers via the, view-only link. Bear in mind that buyers will need to keep copies for 5 years (EUDR rule) and so we recommend you do the same.

Although simple, this approach gives you a simple first step to build upon in future. As you progress through the export journey, you can add to it. Later down the line you may look at implementing more complicated tools for this (i.e. as your operation increases in complexity).

Further Resources

• Getting your farm mapped: The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) Coffee Directorate offers free GPS mapping support. The National Land Commission can also help verify boundaries.

• Pesticide Testing: Get residue tests at KEPHIS labs or SGS Kenya. Check EU limits for residues.

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