EU Deforestation Regulation · Cattle & leather

Every hide now has a birthplace to prove.

Reg. (EU) 2023/1115 · cattle, beef and leather (incl. hides and skins) in scope · large and medium operators from 30 Dec 2026 · cut-off 31 Dec 2020.

Cattle is the EUDR commodity with the hardest traceability ask: the animal moves. Beef, hides and finished leather placed on the EU market need due diligence covering every plot where the animal was raised — birth farm, fattening, finishing — proving none was deforested after 31 December 2020. For leather goods and footwear brands, the obligation arrives through the tannery: a handbag's DDS reaches back to a ranch the brand has never heard of.

Reg. (EU) 2023/1115Leather in scopeEvery plot of raisingCut-off 31 Dec 2020DDS per consignment
What the rule requires

Obligations across a moving asset.

All establishments where raised

Geolocation is required for every establishment where the cattle were kept — indirect suppliers included. Slaughterhouse-only traceability, the industry norm, does not reach the standard.

Hides and leather inherit scope

Raw hides, tanned leather and listed leather products carry the cattle obligation — tanneries and leather-goods importers file or reference the DDS.

Legality alongside deforestation

Production must comply with local law — land rights, environmental and labour rules — in every producing country the animal passed through.

Due-diligence statement

A DDS per consignment in the EU information system before placing on the market, with the establishment geolocations attached.

The dates

The timeline, as it stands.

Large and medium operators come into scope on 30 December 2026; micro and small enterprises on 30 June 2027. Leather lead times mean hides tanned today become 2028 EU handbags — the obligation is already flowing through inventory.

Cut-off date for land31 Dec 2020
Large/medium operators30 Dec 2026
Micro & small enterprises30 Jun 2027
What to do now

Three moves that de-risk the deadline.

01 · Step

Map the indirect-supplier gap

Most cattle systems see the last farm before slaughter. List what share of your hide supply can name the birth and fattening establishments — that is the compliance gap.

02 · Step

Anchor identity at the hide

Hides are individually handled from slaughter through tanning — bind identity there and the leather chain can carry establishment data to the finished good.

03 · Step

Cascade the data clause

Tanneries, traders and brands each need the upstream establishment data contractually — write it into purchase terms now, before 2027 collections are committed.

How Aeroz fits

One identity from hide to handbag.

Aeroz binds chip identity at the hide or wet-blue stage and appends every custody event through tanning, cutting and assembly to an EPCIS 2.0 log with establishment geolocations attached at origin. The finished leather good resolves — via GS1 Digital Link — to its own provenance, serving the DDS, the brand's authenticity story, and resale verification from the same tap.

FAQ

EUDR for cattle & leather, answered.

Is finished leather really in EUDR scope?

Yes — cattle scope covers beef, raw hides and skins, tanned leather and listed leather articles. Importers of leather and leather goods carry due-diligence obligations.

What traceability does cattle require?

Geolocation of every establishment where the animals were raised — not just the final farm. This is the deepest traceability ask of any EUDR commodity.

How do leather brands comply when they buy from tanneries?

By requiring establishment-level data and DDS references upstream, and verifying them — downstream reliance does not remove the duty to check due diligence was properly done.

Does the cut-off apply to pasture conversion?

Yes — land deforested for pasture after 31 December 2020 disqualifies the cattle raised on it, which is why plot history, not current land use, is the test.

Readiness audit

Know exactly where you stand — in 14 days.

A fixed-fee Aeroz audit maps your products against eudr for cattle & leather requirements and returns a written readiness assessment, a data-mapping review, and a scoped pilot plan with cost and timeline.

Fixed fee 14-day written report No commitment to proceed