What if there are no property registers or titles available?

– Obtaining Geolocation Data:

Operators and traders not classified as SMEs can gather geolocation data even in regions lacking property registers or where farmers may lack land IDs or titles.

Farmers can collect geolocation for their land plots independently, even without formal land registries or personal IDs. Personal information is not required from farmers unless they directly supply the operators. Utilizing mobile applications is one example of how farmers can capture geolocation data conveniently.

– Legality Compliance:

As regards the legality requirement, the Regulation requires compliance with national laws. If farmers are legally permitted to farm and trade under national laws (which might not include property registers or IDs for some farmers), operators and traders typically meet legality requirements when sourcing from them. Nonetheless, operators and traders must ensure no illegality risks exist in their supply chains.

There are many different means that operators (or traders that are not SMEs) already use today to collect the geolocation and legality information. Approaches include direct mapping of suppliers, intermediaries like cooperatives, certification bodies, national traceability systems, or other companies. Regardless of the methods used, operators and traders bear legal responsibility for ensuring the accuracy of geolocation and legality information collected.