EUDR and cattle: what importers must collect

Is cattle covered by the EUDR?

Yes. Cattle is on the list of seven commodities, alongside cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya, and wood. Scope extends to the derived products in Annex I — so a finished good containing cattle can be in scope too. If you are unsure about a specific product, the coverage checker resolves it, and the exact boundary is the HS code in Annex I.

What cattle importers have to collect

The same three things every covered commodity needs: plot geolocation for the ground it came from, evidence it was produced legally and is deforestation-free, and a Due Diligence Statement filed in TRACES before customs.

For cattle you geolocate every establishment where the animals were kept, not a growing plot — and animals move, so the chain of establishments matters. This trips up leather importers who assume a single origin.

When does this apply, and what next?

From 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators and 30 June 2027 for micro and small enterprises — see the deadlines. Start by confirming which cattle products you handle are in scope, then ask suppliers for geolocation and DDS references now. The EUDR overview walks the full flow, and EUDR for SMEs covers the reliefs for smaller importers.