what can I do to reduce the risk of my supplier

Additional information and control measures for elevated risk

If a due diligence assessment reveals uncertainty, that uncertainty can be resolved by requesting additional information, documents and verifications from the supplier before a product is placed on the market. Concretely, this involves supplementary data on origin and production conditions, independent verification of compliance with applicable legislation in the production country, and sampling or independent on-site inspections. Additional geolocation data on the plots from which the product originates is also part of this: the more precise the plot information, the better a risk can be assessed and substantiated.

Which measure is appropriate depends on what exactly causes the uncertainty: lack of clarity about the exact location of production requires different supplementary information than uncertainty about the legitimacy of a permit. The risk classification of the country of origin also plays a role, as a higher country classification usually means that more stringent or additional controls are needed to be able to limit the risk. This step follows the due diligence assessment itself; how that assessment is structured is described under the due diligence assessment that the EUDR requires of an operator. The outcome of the risk mitigation is subsequently recorded in the data that ultimately appears in the declaration, see also which data must be entered in a due diligence declaration.

Where that appears in the regulation: articles 10 and 9

The obligation to take measures that limit any identified risk to a negligible level follows from Article 10 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, which also lists the examples mentioned — additional information, independent verification and sampling — as possible measures. The information that serves as the basis for that assessment, such as geolocation data and documentation on origin, stems from the information obligations of Article 9 of the same regulation. The risk classification of countries, which is a factor in determining what measures are appropriate when uncertainty arises, is set out in Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/1093.