Cocoa land near Cross River National Park, Cross River State (case study)
Blocked: not for your EU buyer yet
The goods, the weights and the farm location file do not tie together. Do not send this to your EU buyer.
Why it is blocked
Lot L-002 (10,422 kg) is not kept apart: 7 bag groups trace to a plot that is not cleared. Mixed goods cannot be fixed by leaving plots out of the farm location file. Fix: Take lot L-002 out of this shipment, or resolve its farms first.
7 plots behind these goods are not in the farm location file: CRS-AFI-0001 (Stop), CRS-AFI-0002 (Stop), CRS-AFI-0003 (Check, no one has accepted it), CRS-AFI-0004 (Check, no one has accepted it) and 3 more. The goods and the producer locations do not match. Fix: Resolve these plots, or take the lots that hold their bags out of the shipment.
What is still missing
Land papers are missing for 1 plot: CRS-AFI-0005. Fix: Add a land paper for each of these plots: a survey plan, a certificate of occupancy or a permit.
This is the state when the pack was built. A named person approves the handoff in Forestline, and any later change takes the approval back.
Prepared for EU buyer (not named), NL. Cocoa, Product code 1801.
1Plots in the farm location file
3.36 haArea
1Farmers
11,765 kgWeight stated for the shipment
1,343 kgWeight of lots kept apart
1 / 3 / 4Clear / Check / Stop
7Left out of the file
This pack holds the proof for one shipment. Your EU buyer files the EU form (the due diligence statement) and stays responsible for it. A person looks at every Check before the plot goes in the farm location file.
Some bags in this shipment do not trace to a Clear or accepted plot. Do not send them to the EU until that is fixed. The table of bags kept apart shows which.
Under Europe's no-deforestation rule (EUDR), Nigeria is a standard-risk country (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1093). So the EU buyer runs the full risk check on every shipment.
What is in this pack
The sections follow Article 9 of Europe's no-deforestation rule, (a) to (h), so your EU buyer can match each one to their form.
The farm location file (GeoJSON), the plot register (CSV), the lot-to-plot table (CSV) and the EU form draft (JSON).
(a) What the goods are
Crop
Cocoa
Description
Cocoa beans, weights estimated from plot sizes
Product code
1801
(b) How much
Weight stated for the shipment
11,765 kg
Weight of lots kept apart
1,343 kg
Lot
Bags
Weight (kg)
Kept apart
Problems
L-001
0
1,343
Yes
–
L-002
0
10,422
No
A plot in this purchase has the result Stop.; A plot in this purchase has the result Check and no person has accepted it.
(c) Where they were grown
Country of production
Nigeria (NG)
States
Cross River
(d) The plots and when the crop was grown
Harvest period: Not recorded. Farm edges are in the farm location file.
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline)
Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain
Full edge
2.26
Stop
No
(e) Who supplied the goods
Exporter: Cocoa land near Cross River National Park, Cross River State (case study)
Farmer
Community
Phone
Cooperative
Agreed to share plot locations
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline) F-0001
Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain, Cross River
Not recorded
No
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline) F-0002
Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain, Cross River
Not recorded
No
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline) F-0003
Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain, Cross River
Not recorded
No
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline) F-0004
Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain, Cross River
Not recorded
No
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline) F-0005
Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain, Cross River
Not recorded
No
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline) F-0006
Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain, Cross River
Not recorded
No
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline) F-0007
Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain, Cross River
Not recorded
No
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline) F-0008
Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain, Cross River
Not recorded
No
(f) Who the goods go to
EU buyer
EU buyer (not named), NL
The buyer's address and email are on the buyer's own form.
(g) Proof that no forest was cut after 31 December 2020
Satellite photos: 2020 and the latest selected photo.
CRS-AFI-0005
Clear
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline) · Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain, Cross River · 3.36 ha
The 2020 photo. Taken 2020-11-10. Clouds hid 0% of the plot.Latest selected photo. Taken 2025-11-24. Clouds hid 0% of the plot.
Forest at the end of 2020 (EU map)
0.02 ha (1%)
Tree loss after 2020 (a rough guide, not an exact area)
No forest cut after 2020 was found in the records we checked, and Forestline AI read nothing different in the photos.
What Forestline AI saw: Both photos show a green, uneven canopy inside the farm edge, consistent with cocoa under shade trees. No bare ground, new rows or clearing is visible. The canopy looks similar in both photos.
Proof to gather
Year the farmer first planted cocoa on this plot
Old photos or cooperative records showing the farm existed before 2021
Count of shade tree and cocoa tree ages on the plot
Receipts for seedlings or inputs if replanting occurred
Plots left out of the farm location file
Plot code
Farmer
Result
Why it is left out
CRS-AFI-0001
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline)
Stop
Result is Stop: forest was cut after 2020, or the plot is inside a protected forest.
CRS-AFI-0002
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline)
Stop
Result is Stop: forest was cut after 2020, or the plot is inside a protected forest.
CRS-AFI-0003
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline)
Check
Result is Check and no person has accepted it yet.
CRS-AFI-0004
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline)
Check
Result is Check and no person has accepted it yet.
CRS-AFI-0006
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline)
Check
Result is Check and no person has accepted it yet.
CRS-AFI-0007
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline)
Stop
Result is Stop: forest was cut after 2020, or the plot is inside a protected forest.
CRS-AFI-0008
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline)
Stop
Result is Stop: forest was cut after 2020, or the plot is inside a protected forest.
CRS-AFI-0001
Stop
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline) · Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain, Cross River · 4.49 ha
The 2020 photo. Taken 2020-12-05. Clouds hid 0% of the plot.Latest selected photo. Taken 2026-03-19. Clouds hid 0% of the plot.
Forest at the end of 2020 (EU map)
4.47 ha (100%)
Tree loss after 2020 (a rough guide, not an exact area)
4.4 hectares of this plot was forest at the end of 2020 and has lost its trees between 2021 and 2025. That is 98% of the plot. Do not buy from it for the EU.
Satellite alerts show about 3.5 hectares of new tree loss in this plot since 2021. The latest alert is from 2025. A person must look at the latest selected photo.
What Forestline AI saw: In the 2020 photo the plot is covered by dense green canopy. In the latest selected photo large brown and bare patches are visible inside the farm edge, with only some green remaining at the edges. The facts record 4.381 ha of tree loss after the 2020 cut-off, which is nearly the whole plot.
Proof to gather
The year the farmer first planted cocoa on this plot
Old photos or satellite images showing cocoa trees under shade before 2020
Cooperative or buying-agent records proving cocoa harvests before 2021
A field visit to count tree ages and check if shade trees were natural forest or planted
Receipts for seedlings or inputs if this is a replanting
CRS-AFI-0002
Stop
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline) · Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain, Cross River · 5.85 ha
The 2020 photo. Taken 2020-11-20. Clouds hid 0% of the plot.Latest selected photo. Taken 2025-12-09. Clouds hid 0% of the plot.
Forest at the end of 2020 (EU map)
5.82 ha (100%)
Tree loss after 2020 (a rough guide, not an exact area)
5.7 hectares of this plot was forest at the end of 2020 and has lost its trees between 2021 and 2024. That is 98% of the plot. Do not buy from it for the EU.
Satellite alerts show about 5.4 hectares of new tree loss in this plot since 2021. The latest alert is from 2022. A person must look at the latest selected photo.
Forestline AI is not sure what the two photos show. A person must look at them.
What Forestline AI saw: The 2020 photo shows a dappled green canopy inside the farm edge, consistent with cocoa under shade trees. The current photo has a large bright white patch covering the lower part of the plot, likely cloud or haze, making a full comparison difficult. The visible parts outside the cloud still appear green. The tree loss record shows 5.73 ha lost since 2020, mostly in 2022, but the cloud prevents confirming this from the photo.
Proof to gather
Year the farmer first planted cocoa on this plot
Old photos or videos of the farm before and after 2022
Cooperative purchase records or delivery receipts for this plot
Count of cocoa tree ages to confirm whether trees predate 2020
Receipts for seedlings or inputs if replanting occurred
CRS-AFI-0003
Check
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline) · Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain, Cross River · 3.03 ha
The 2020 photo. Taken 2020-11-10. Clouds hid 0% of the plot.Latest selected photo. Taken 2025-11-24. Clouds hid 0% of the plot.
Forest at the end of 2020 (EU map)
0.01 ha (0%)
Tree loss after 2020 (a rough guide, not an exact area)
0.01 hectares of this plot was forest at the end of 2020 and has lost its trees in 2021. This is below the Stop line, so a person must look at it.
What Forestline AI saw: Both photos show a green, uneven canopy inside the farm edge, consistent with cocoa under shade trees. The latest selected photo is blurry but the canopy appears intact. No bare ground, new rows or clearing is visible.
Proof to gather
Year the farmer first planted cocoa on this plot
Old photos or cooperative records showing the farm before 2021
Count of shade tree and cocoa tree ages on the plot
Receipts for seedlings or farm inputs
Review by a person: Not reviewed
CRS-AFI-0004
Check
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline) · Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain, Cross River · 4.01 ha
The 2020 photo. Taken 2020-12-05. Clouds hid 0% of the plot.Latest selected photo. Taken 2025-11-24. Clouds hid 0% of the plot.
Forest at the end of 2020 (EU map)
2.87 ha (72%)
Tree loss after 2020 (a rough guide, not an exact area)
The EU 2020 map calls 72% of this plot forest, but Forestline AI sees cocoa under shade trees. The EU map often calls shaded cocoa forest. No tree loss was found after 2020. Gather: The year the farmer first planted cocoa on this plot; Old photos or cooperative records showing the farm existed before 2021; A count of cocoa tree ages to confirm planting predates the cut-off; GPS-tagged ground photos showing cocoa under shade trees.
What Forestline AI saw: Both photos show an uneven, dappled canopy inside the farm edge. There is no sign of clearing, bare ground or new planting. The canopy appears stable between 2020 and today.
Proof to gather
The year the farmer first planted cocoa on this plot
Old photos or cooperative records showing the farm existed before 2021
A count of cocoa tree ages to confirm planting predates the cut-off
GPS-tagged ground photos showing cocoa under shade trees
Review by a person: Not reviewed
CRS-AFI-0006
Check
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline) · Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain, Cross River · 3.46 ha
The 2020 photo. Taken 2020-12-05. Clouds hid 0% of the plot.Latest selected photo. Taken 2025-11-24. Clouds hid 0% of the plot.
Forest at the end of 2020 (EU map)
0 ha (0%)
Tree loss after 2020 (a rough guide, not an exact area)
0.33 hectares lost trees after 2020 on land the EU 2020 map does not call forest. Often this is old rubber or cocoa cut and planted again. Ask for the planting year and proof. Forestline AI: In 2020 the plot shows a dappled green canopy typical of cocoa under shade trees, with some brown patches on the right side. The latest selected photo still shows green canopy over most of the plot, but a lighter bare or cleared patch is visible near the bottom of the farm edge. The tree loss record shows 0.327 ha lost in 2025, which matches this small cleared area.
Forestline AI is not sure what the two photos show. A person must look at them.
What Forestline AI saw: In 2020 the plot shows a dappled green canopy typical of cocoa under shade trees, with some brown patches on the right side. The latest selected photo still shows green canopy over most of the plot, but a lighter bare or cleared patch is visible near the bottom of the farm edge. The tree loss record shows 0.327 ha lost in 2025, which matches this small cleared area.
Proof to gather
Year the farmer first planted cocoa on this plot
Old photos or cooperative records showing the farm before 2020
Reason for the recent small clearing (replanting or other)
Receipts for seedlings if new cocoa was planted in 2025
A count of tree ages across the plot
Review by a person: Not reviewed
CRS-AFI-0007
Stop
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline) · Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain, Cross River · 2.97 ha
The 2020 photo. Taken 2020-11-10. Clouds hid 0% of the plot.Latest selected photo. Taken 2026-03-21. Clouds hid 0% of the plot.
Forest at the end of 2020 (EU map)
0.47 ha (16%)
Tree loss after 2020 (a rough guide, not an exact area)
3 hectares of this plot (100%) lies inside Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary (Wildlife Sanctuary). Do not buy from it for the EU.
Forestline AI is not sure what the two photos show. A person must look at them.
What Forestline AI saw: The 2020 photo shows green canopy inside the plot, with some cloud or haze at the bottom edge. The current photo shows most of the plot is bare brown soil, with green trees only around the outside. The canopy inside the farm edge has been removed.
Proof to gather
Year the cocoa was first planted
Reason for clearing (replanting or other use)
Receipts for new cocoa seedlings if replanting
Old photos of the farm before clearing
Cooperative or buying-agent records confirming cocoa was grown here before 2020
CRS-AFI-0008
Stop
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline) · Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain, Cross River · 2.26 ha
The 2020 photo. Taken 2020-11-20. Clouds hid 0% of the plot.Latest selected photo. Taken 2026-03-21. Clouds hid 0% of the plot.
Forest at the end of 2020 (EU map)
2.26 ha (100%)
Tree loss after 2020 (a rough guide, not an exact area)
0.74 hectares of this plot was forest at the end of 2020 and has lost its trees in 2025. That is 33% of the plot. Do not buy from it for the EU.
Satellite alerts show about 1.5 hectares of new tree loss in this plot since 2021. The latest alert is from 2026. A person must look at the latest selected photo.
This plot is 450 metres from Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary (Wildlife Sanctuary). A person must check that none of it is inside.
Forestline AI is not sure what the two photos show. A person must look at them.
What Forestline AI saw: The 2020 photo shows a dappled, uneven canopy typical of cocoa under shade trees. The current photo also shows green canopy but with a bright white and pinkish bare patch inside the left and right parts of the farm edge. This suggests a partial clearing or exposed ground within the plot, though most of the plot is still under tree cover.
Proof to gather
The year the farmer first planted cocoa on this plot
Old photos or cooperative records showing the farm existed before 2021
A field visit to check whether the bare patch is replanting, a building or a natural gap
Seedling receipts if any replanting took place
GPS-tagged photos of the cleared area and surrounding shade trees
Bags kept apart
Lot
Bags
Weight (kg)
Kept apart
Problems
L-001
0
1,343
Yes
–
L-002
0
10,422
No
A plot in this purchase has the result Stop.; A plot in this purchase has the result Check and no person has accepted it.
Purchases and the plots they trace to
Purchase
Date
Farmer
Plot code
Bags
Weight (kg)
pu_01
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline)
CRS-AFI-0001
0
1,797
pu_02
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline)
CRS-AFI-0002
0
2,338
pu_03
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline)
CRS-AFI-0003
0
1,211
pu_04
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline)
CRS-AFI-0004
0
1,603
pu_05
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline)
CRS-AFI-0005
0
1,343
pu_06
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline)
CRS-AFI-0006
0
1,382
pu_07
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline)
CRS-AFI-0007
0
1,187
pu_08
Not known (farm edge from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, traced by Forestline)
CRS-AFI-0008
0
904
Bag weights for a plot are the plot's share of each purchase, split by plot area.
Harvest check
Kilograms on record for a farmer, against what that farmer's plots can grow in a season.
No farmer is above what the plots can grow.
(h) Proof the farms are legal
Europe's no-deforestation rule points to Nigeria's land, tax, labour and anti-corruption rules. This list shows which papers Forestline holds for each plot.
Papers missing:2
Plot code
How the land is held
Land paper
Farmer ID
Issues
CRS-AFI-0005
unknown
Missing
Missing
–
CRS-AFI-0001
unknown
Missing
Missing
–
CRS-AFI-0002
unknown
Missing
Missing
–
CRS-AFI-0003
unknown
Missing
Missing
–
CRS-AFI-0004
unknown
Missing
Missing
–
CRS-AFI-0006
unknown
Missing
Missing
–
CRS-AFI-0007
unknown
Missing
Missing
–
CRS-AFI-0008
unknown
Missing
Missing
–
Risk check
Written by Forestline AI from the facts in this pack. The EU buyer decides if the risk is very low.
This shipment (S-001) of 1,343 kg of cocoa from Nigeria is blocked from handoff. 7 of 8 plots are left out of the farm location file because they got a Stop or unreviewed Check result, and lot L-002 (10,422 kg) is not kept apart from goods that trace to plots not cleared. Land papers are missing for 1 plot, 8 farmers have not given consent, and all weights are estimates because no bag was weighed and no sale is recorded.
Where the crop grows
Nigeria is in the standard risk group under Europe's no-deforestation rule (EUDR) (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1093). The EU buyer runs the full risk check on every shipment. 8 plots were checked. Only 1 plot (3.357 ha) is in the farm location file. 7 plots were left out. 4 plots got a Stop result and 3 plots got a Check result that no one has reviewed. 1 plot got a Clear result. The harvest period is not stated in the facts; the EU buyer assesses this.
Protected forests near the plots
All 8 plots were checked against OpenStreetMap protected areas. This map holds only part of Nigeria's protected forests and is not a legal map. 1 plot lies inside the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary. 1 more plot lies within 500 m of the same Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary but outside it. The EU buyer should check the official maps for what OpenStreetMap does not hold.
What the satellite photos show
Satellite photos were checked for all 8 plots against the cut-off date of 31 December 2020 (no forest may have been turned into farm land after that date). 1 plot was marked Clear, meaning no sign of forest cut after 2020. 3 plots were marked Check, meaning something needs a closer look. 4 plots were marked Stop, meaning the satellite photos raised a concern. No plot has been reviewed by a person so far (0 plots reviewed).
How bags trace to plots
There are 2 lots. Lot L-001 (1,343 kg) is kept apart and has 0 problems. Lot L-002 (10,422 kg) is not kept apart: 7 bag groups trace to a plot that is not cleared. Mixed goods cannot be fixed by leaving plots out of the farm location file. The stated shipment weight is 11,765 kg, but only 1,343 kg of recorded capacity traces to cleared plots. All weights are estimated: each weight is a farm's size times a published average yield. No bag was weighed and no sale is recorded. The estimated capacity that the farms can grow is 29,412 kg. 0 farmers are above capacity.
Papers that show the farm is legal
2 papers are missing. Land papers are missing for 1 plot: CRS-AFI-0005. 8 farmers have not given consent. The EU buyer assesses whether the remaining papers are enough to show the farmers may use the land and follow other laws of Nigeria.
What was done about the risks
7 plots were left out of the farm location file. CRS-AFI-0001, CRS-AFI-0002, CRS-AFI-0007 and CRS-AFI-0008 were left out because they got a Stop result. CRS-AFI-0003, CRS-AFI-0004 and CRS-AFI-0006 were left out because they got a Check result that no one has accepted. The shipment is blocked. The blockers are: lot L-002 (10,422 kg) is not kept apart and 7 bag groups trace to a plot that is not cleared; and 7 plots behind these goods are not in the farm location file (CRS-AFI-0001, CRS-AFI-0002, CRS-AFI-0003, CRS-AFI-0004 and 3 more). 0 plots have been reviewed by a person. No extra documents or farmer support actions are recorded in these facts.
What the EU buyer decides
The EU buyer decides whether the risk is low enough to file the EU form. The shipment is currently blocked. Lot L-002 cannot go in the EU lot until the mixing problem is fixed. 7 plots are not cleared. 8 farmers have not given consent. 2 papers are missing. 1 plot sits inside the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary and 1 plot is within 500 m of it. All weights are estimates. The EU buyer is responsible for the final assessment and for filing under the rule.
Where the data comes from
These records were used for every result in this pack.
Source
Version
Licence
EU Joint Research Centre Global Forest Cover 2020 https://forobs.jrc.ec.europa.eu/GFC
V4
Free of charge, without restriction of use (cite Bourgoin et al., doi 10.2905/JRC.3KATEH8)
University of Maryland Global Forest Change (loss counts are a rough guide, not an exact area) https://storage.googleapis.com/earthenginepartners-hansen/GFC-2025-v1.13/download.html
GFC-2025-v1.13
CC BY 4.0 (Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA)
Global Forest Watch integrated deforestation alerts https://www.globalforestwatch.org/
latest release
Global Forest Watch open data (terms on the source page)
Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite photos, through Earth Search https://earth-search.aws.element84.com/v1/
