Reference

How TruSource operates, step by step.

TruSource collects the evidence for agricultural exports to the European Union. This guide describes what the platform does and gives the procedure for each party. It is published in full, so anyone evaluating TruSource can read exactly how it works before they talk to us.

Open TruSourceCreate an accountDescription and procedures · 1 August 2026

One direction: land to container

A farm has a boundary or a point. A lot records what came off one or more farms. A shipment carries lots to one buyer. Documents attach to any of them.

Three parties

The origin partner holds the evidence. The operator carries the legal duty. The field agent records boundaries in the field.

Evidence, not certification

TruSource records evidence and shows what is absent. It does not certify a supply chain, and it does not send anything to an authority.

What TruSource does

TruSource keeps a record of where produce grew and what paperwork it has. It makes the record in one direction — from the land to the container.

  • A farm has a boundary or a point.
  • A lot records what came off one or more farms.
  • A shipment carries one or more lots to one buyer.
  • A document attaches to the farm, the lot, the shipment, or the organisation.

TruSource then runs the checks. It knows which documents each country and each commodity needs, and it shows you what is missing.

CautionTruSource does not certify a supply chain. It records evidence and shows what is absent. A statement from TruSource is not proof that land is clear — read The deforestation check below.

All parties sign in the same way: open the platform at app.trusource.io, enter your work email and password, and select the workspace you want. A person can belong to more than one workspace — several exporters, a buyer, or both — and the workspaces stay separate.

Sign in at app.trusource.ioThe platform itself. Every procedure in this guide is performed here.Create an accountSet up a workspace as an exporter or a buyer, then invite the people who will use it. Your first 20 shipments come with Starter features, free.

Who uses it

Three parties use TruSource. Each has different tasks and sees different screens.

PartyWho this isWhat this party does
Origin partnerThe exporter — a cooperative, an estate, or a producer.Records the farms, the lots, and the shipments. Files the documents. Shares a consignment with a buyer.
OperatorThe buyer — the company that puts the goods on the EU market.Connects to a supplier. Examines a consignment. Asks for a document. Makes a due diligence statement.
Field agentA person who goes to the farms.Records the boundary of each farm that an admin assigns to that person.
NoteThe EU regulation puts the legal duty on the operator. The origin partner holds the evidence. TruSource connects the two.

Terms

The platform uses one word for one thing. These are the terms you will see on screen.

TermWhat it is
WorkspaceOne organisation in TruSource. All records belong to one workspace.
FarmOne area of land. It has a boundary or a point.
BoundaryThe shape of a farm, as a line around it.
PointOne position on a farm. The EU regulation permits a point for a farm of less than 4 hectares.
LotA quantity of one commodity. It comes from one or more farms.
ShipmentOne or more lots that go to one buyer. The operator sees a shipment as a consignment.
ConsignmentA shipment that an origin partner shared with an operator.
DocumentA file — for example, a licence or a certificate.
ConnectionAn agreement between an operator and an origin partner.
Due diligence statementThe record that an operator makes before it puts goods on the EU market.
Cutoff date31 December 2020. Land cleared after this date cannot supply the EU market.

Procedures for the origin partner

The origin partner is the exporter. These procedures are given in the sequence of the work.

Find the work to do

  1. 1Click Overview.
  2. 2Read the rows below Needs attention.
  3. 3Click a row to correct that problem.

The Overview screen shows what needs your attention, in sequence of importance. Each row opens the screen that corrects the problem.

Add a farm

  1. 1Click Farms.
  2. 2Click Add farm.
  3. 3Type the name of the farm.
  4. 4Select the country.
  5. 5Type the locality and the name of the producer.
  6. 6Select one or more commodities.
  7. 7Click Add farm.
NoteYou can add a farm before you have its boundary. Record the boundary later.

Read the checks on a farm

  1. 1Click Farms.
  2. 2Click the name of the farm.
  3. 3Read Export readiness.
  4. 4Click a check to see the full text.

The farm screen shows the map, the facts about the geolocation, and the checks. The checks come from the country, the commodities, the documents, and the deforestation check.

Record a lot

  1. 1Click Lots.
  2. 2Click New lot.
  3. 3Select the commodity.
  4. 4Type the reference of the lot.
  5. 5Select each farm that supplied the lot.
  6. 6Type the quantity from each farm.
  7. 7Click Open the lot.
CautionA lot needs a farm. If the workspace has no farm, TruSource refuses to make a lot. Add a farm first.
NoteTruSource records the boundary of each farm as it was on that day. If a person changes the boundary later, the lot keeps the older boundary.

Make a shipment

  1. 1Click Shipments.
  2. 2Click New shipment.
  3. 3Type the reference, the buyer, and the destination.
  4. 4Click Start the shipment.
  5. 5Click Add a lot.
  6. 6Select a lot and type the quantity.
  7. 7Do the last two steps again for each lot.
CautionTruSource does not let you allocate more than a lot holds. The database refuses it. This keeps the quantities correct.

Add a document

  1. 1Click Documents.
  2. 2Click Upload document.
  3. 3Select what the document is about — for example, a farm or a shipment.
  4. 4Select the type of the document.
  5. 5Select the file.
  6. 6Type the dates that the document is valid between.
  7. 7Click Upload.
NoteTruSource examines each file for malware. A file stays unavailable until the examination is complete.

Accept a buyer

  1. 1Click Buyers.
  2. 2Find the request at the top of the screen.
  3. 3Read the reason that the buyer gives.
  4. 4Click Accept.
  5. 5Select the workspace to connect.
  6. 6Click Connect.
NoteA connection lets a buyer ask you for evidence. It does not give the buyer your records. You choose what to share in the next procedure. The buyer does not see your other workspaces.

Share a consignment

  1. 1Click Buyers.
  2. 2Find the buyer.
  3. 3Click Share a shipment.
  4. 4Select each shipment to share.
  5. 5Select how long the access continues.
  6. 6Type a note if you want to.
  7. 7Click Share.

The buyer then sees the shipment, its lots, the farms behind the lots, and the documents. The buyer sees nothing else in your workspace. To stop the access, click Stop sharing next to the consignment, then click Stop sharing again to confirm.

CautionIf the buyer used the consignment in a due diligence statement, you cannot delete its documents. TruSource refuses. The buyer must keep the evidence for five years.

Answer a request for evidence

  1. 1Click Shipments.
  2. 2Click the shipment.
  3. 3Find the request below Shared with buyers.
  4. 4Click Answer.
  5. 5Select the document that answers the request.
  6. 6Type your reply.
  7. 7Click Send answer.
NoteIf the document is not on file, upload it first, then answer the request.

Procedures for the operator

The operator is the buyer. The EU regulation puts the legal duty on this party.

Connect to a supplier

  1. 1Click Suppliers.
  2. 2Click Connect a supplier.
  3. 3Type the email address of a person at the exporter.
  4. 4Type why you need the connection.
  5. 5Click Send request.
NoteYou send the request to a person, not to a company. The person chooses which workspace to connect. You cannot search for a company by name.

Examine a consignment

  1. 1Click Consignments.
  2. 2Click the reference of the consignment.

The consignment screen has five parts. Read them in this sequence.

PartWhat it shows
The headingWho shared the consignment, when, and for how long.
The checksThe result of the checks of the supplier. TruSource does not make a second result.
On boardEach lot, its commodity, and how many farms it comes from.
Where it grewEach farm, its area, and whether it has a boundary or a point.
DocumentsEach document. Click Download to get the file.
NoteThe checks are the checks of the supplier. TruSource uses the same rules on both screens. Two different results would be worse than one.

Ask for a document

  1. 1Open the consignment.
  2. 2Click Ask for a document.
  3. 3Select what you need.
  4. 4Type why you need it.
  5. 5Type a date if there is one. If there is no date, leave the field empty.
  6. 6Click Send request.

TruSource knows which documents the commodity and the country need, and the list shows only what this consignment needs. You select from that list — you do not type the name of a document. The supplier sees the request on their own screen of that shipment.

When the supplier answers

  1. 1Open the consignment.
  2. 2Read the answer below the request.
  3. 3Click Download to examine the document.
  4. 4Click Accept if the document is correct.
  5. 5Click Send back if it is not correct.
NoteIf you send a request back, the supplier can answer again. The first answer stays in the record.

Make a due diligence statement

  1. 1Click Declarations.
  2. 2Click New statement.
  3. 3Type your reference.
  4. 4Click Start.
  5. 5Select each consignment that the statement covers.
  6. 6Read the result at the top of the screen.

TruSource calculates the quantity, the commodity, and the geolocations from the consignments. You do not type them. The result is one of two.

ResultWhat to do
Ready to fileContinue to the next procedure.
Not ready to fileRead each reason. Most reasons are for the supplier to correct. Open the consignment and ask for what is missing.

File the statement

  1. 1Click File this statement.
  2. 2Read the text in the window.
  3. 3Click File it.
CautionWhen you file a statement, TruSource records the exact version of each boundary, document, and deforestation check. The suppliers cannot then delete them. Make sure that the consignments are correct before you file.

The screen then shows the record. The record does not change when the suppliers change their data. If something changes after you file — a supplier draws a new boundary, for example — TruSource shows a message at the top of the statement telling you what changed. Read the message, then click Freeze again to make a new record.

NoteThe first record stays. A new record goes next to it. TruSource does not change a record that you filed.

Get the geolocations

  1. 1Open the statement.
  2. 2Click Download GeoJSON.
  3. 3Send the file to the EU system.
CautionTruSource does not send anything to an authority. The EU system needs the geolocation of each farm and TruSource makes that file for you in GeoJSON format, but you file it in the EU system yourself.

Procedures for the field agent

A field agent sees only the farms that an admin assigns to that person. If you see no farms, ask an admin to assign them. The farm count and the total area show only the assigned farms.

Record a boundary

  1. 1Click Farms.
  2. 2Click the name of the farm.
  3. 3Click Change next to the map.
  4. 4Draw the boundary on the map, or type the position of a point.
  5. 5Select how you captured the geolocation.
  6. 6If you recorded a point, type the area that the producer declares.
  7. 7Click Save.
CautionThe EU regulation permits a point only for a farm of less than 4 hectares. For a larger farm, draw the boundary.
NoteTruSource keeps each boundary that you record. It does not replace the older one. This lets a person see what the farm was on any date.

For an admin: assign a farm

  1. 1Click Farms.
  2. 2Click the name of the farm.
  3. 3Find Field agents on this plot.
  4. 4Click the box next to the name of the field agent.

The checks

TruSource runs these checks. Each check gives one of three results: it passes, it fails, or it is not conclusive.

CheckWhat it examines
Farm is locatedThe farm has a boundary or a point.
Point is permittedA point is only for a farm of less than 4 hectares.
Farm is in the countryThe shape is inside the country that the record gives.
Area is possibleThe area is not too small and not too large. This finds an error in the position of a decimal point.
Shape is correctThe shape does not cross itself.
No two farms overlapTwo farms in the workspace do not claim the same land.
Land was not clearedA provider examined the land against satellite data. See The deforestation check.
Documents are on fileEach document that the country and the commodity need is present, clean, and in date.
Lots are readyEach lot on a shipment passes its own checks.
Quantities agreeA lot does not supply more than it holds.

Each check shows its result and the reason for it. The same rules run on the supplier screen and the buyer screen, so both parties see one result rather than two.

The deforestation check

TruSource sends the shape of a farm to FAO Whisp. Whisp examines the land against satellite data. It uses JRC GFC2020 for the land at the cutoff date, and GFW RADD for changes after that date.

ResultWhat it means
Not assessedNo provider examined this farm. This is not the same as clear.
Low riskThe provider found no deforestation after the cutoff date.
Loss detectedThe provider found deforestation. Produce from this farm cannot go to the EU market.
Not conclusiveThe provider examined the farm but cannot decide. A person must look at it.
CautionA farm that no provider examined shows not assessed. TruSource never shows such a farm as clear. Do not read an absent check as a good result.

A point has no area, so TruSource makes a circle around the point and calculates the radius from the area that the producer declares. A boundary gives a better result than a circle, and the check says so in its text — along with the radius, the datasets, and the date.

The satellite data changes each week, so each result shows its date. After 30 days, TruSource tells you to run the check again, and the Overview screen lists the farms that need a new one.

What TruSource does not do

The limits matter as much as the features. These are stated in the guide and repeated here so nobody has to discover them during an audit.

  • It does not certify a supply chain. It records evidence and shows what is absent.
  • It does not send anything to an authority. The operator downloads the GeoJSON and files it in the EU system.
  • It does not produce a second opinion on a consignment. The buyer sees the supplier’s checks, run under the same rules.
  • It does not treat an absent deforestation check as a pass. A farm nobody examined shows not assessed.
  • It does not change a record that an operator filed. A later change appears next to it as a new record.

Read the guide, then run the procedures.

The procedures above are the whole platform. Create a workspace and work through them on your own farms, or bring a real shipment and we will walk it through with you.

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Your first 20 shipments come with Starter features, free.