Independent Assurance Report on the Company’s control procedures that relate to the ICE CoT Platform in supporting its users with their due diligence and other obligations under EUDR as at a point in time
Third Party Release Letter
Independent practitioner’s assurance report to the directors of ICE Benchmark Administration Limited (the ‘Company’) in respect of the ICE Commodities Traceability (ICE CoT) platform to support users with their due diligence and other obligations under EU Deforestation Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, as amended by the Regulation 2024/3234, together “EUDR”) as at 22 January 2026.
Ernst & Young LLP (‘we’ or ‘EY’) have been requested by the Company to provide you, the recipient company, firm, or organisation (the ‘Recipient’), with a copy of the report we prepared, on the Company’s instructions, on the Company’s control procedures that relate to the ICE CoT Platform in supporting its users with their due diligence and other obligations under EUDR as at a point in time (‘the Report’).
The Report was prepared solely for the use of the Company and addressed issues specific to them. Accordingly, we may not have addressed issues of relevance to you (together the ‘Recipients'). Further, the Report was concluded on 26 February 2026, and we have not undertaken any further work since that time.
Material events may therefore have occurred which will not be reflected in the Report.
Whilst we are prepared to provide a copy of the Report to the Recipients, it is only on the basis that the Recipients acknowledge and agree that:
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- EY gives no assurance that use of the ICE CoT Platform or any outputs from it will ensure compliance with EUDR or identify specific areas of non-compliance;
- EY’s opinion does not include a review of the quality of the data uploaded by users to the ICE CoT Platform;
- the Recipient read and understood the methodology published by ICE CoT at ICE_CoT_Public_Methodology.pdf. More specifically, that the ICE CoT platform and all related data and information is provided 'as is' and the Company gives no warranty and makes no representation as to fitness for purpose, satisfactory quality or timeliness of that data or information. In particular, the Company gives no warranty and makes no representation as to the compliance of any commodities, products or related data or information with the EUDR;
- no EY Person accepts any responsibility nor shall have any liability in contract, tort or otherwise to any Recipient or any other third party in relation to the contents of the Report;
- any use a Recipient makes of the Report is entirely at its own risk;
- no Recipient shall disclose all or any part of the Report to any other person, by any means, or refer to EY or any EY Person in connection with the Report;
- to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law and professional regulations the Recipient shall indemnify the EY Persons against all claims by third parties and resulting liabilities, losses, damages, costs and expenses (including reasonable external and internal legal costs) arising out of a third party’s use of or reliance on the Report disclosed to it by or through a Recipient or at a Recipient’s request; and
- EY Persons shall be entitled to enforce these terms and conditions in accordance with the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.
This agreement and any dispute or claim (including non-contractual disputes or claims) arising out of or in connection with it or its subject matter or formation shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales.
Each party irrevocably agrees that the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim (including non-contractual disputes or claims) arising out of or in connection with this agreement or its subject matter or formation.
For the purposes of this agreement “EY Persons” shall mean Ernst & Young LLP, any other member of the global network of Ernst & Young firms and any of their respective subcontractors, members, shareholders, directors, officers, partners, principals or employees (including but not limited to employees of Ernst & Young Services Limited). “EY Person” shall be construed accordingly.
If you wish to access the Report you should confirm your acceptance of and agreement to the terms of this agreement by clicking on the “I AGREE” button below.
By clicking on the "I AGREE" button you signify that the Recipient agrees to be bound by these terms and conditions. You confirm that you are authorised to enter into this agreement on behalf of the Recipient and that once you click on the “I AGREE” button below this agreement is legally binding on, and enforceable against, the Recipient. Such acceptance and agreement shall be deemed to be as effective as a written signature provided manually by you, for and on behalf of the Recipient, and shall be deemed to satisfy any requirements of any applicable law to create a legally enforceable contract, notwithstanding that the agreement is written and accepted electronically.