No soy grown on land deforested after deadline will be traded.
In a statement from soy feed producers CJ Selecta, Imcopa and Caramuru, they write that soy vendors to the salmon industry will end the trade of deforestation linked to soybeans in Brazil.
Cut-off date
The Brazilian soy suppliers to the salmon industry, CJ Selecta, Caramuru and Imcopa, will implement a 100 per-cent deforestation and conversion free soybean value chain with 2020 as their cut-off date. No soy grown on land deforested after this deadline will be traded.
“The move sets a new benchmark for global supply chains and is in stark contrast to larger Brazilian soy traders, who continue to trade soy linked to deforestation,” they wrote.
As a result of the move, the majority of the global farmed salmon industry, including the entire European salmon sector, will source soy from Brazilian suppliers whose soybean value chains are 100 per-cent deforestation and conversion free.
First-time
“This is the very first-time Brazilian soy suppliers make such a commitment,” CJ Selecta, Imcopa and Caramuru wrote. They added that the decision is “praised by global environmental organizations, international retailers, salmon farmers, feed companies, salmon processers and investors, who are deeply concerned about the increasing deforestation and conversion rates in Brazil”.
The ‘Aquaculture Dialogue on Sustainable Soy Sourcing from Brazil’ group is a driving force behind this action. This dialogue group consists of the feed companies Skretting, Cargill Aqua Nutrition, BioMar and Mowi, together with the sustainability standard owner ProTerra and the Brazilian soy protein concentrate (SPC) producers.
In addition, a group of European companies in the salmon value chain, comprised of salmon farmers, salmon processors and retailers, have engaged in dialogue with the Brazilian soy suppliers to achieve a 2020 cut-off date. The companies are Tesco, Ahold Delhaize, Coop UK, Marks and Spencer, METRO, Waitrose, Aquascot, Hilton Food Group, Labeyrie Fine Foods, Grieg Seafood, Lerøy Seafood Group, Cermaq, Norway Royal Salmon and SinkabergHansen.
Voluntary
“This also marks the first time an animal protein industry has set such a voluntary and sector-wide benchmark. The participants and stakeholders involved in this initiative hope to inspire other global animal protein industries, such as beef, pork and poultry to follow suit,” the release stated.
CJ Selecta, Caramuru and Imcopa/Cervejaria Petrópolis have set August 2020 as the cut-off-date for their deforestation and conversion free soybean supply chain. This means they will not trade soy to any of their customers that is grown on land deforested after that date.
ProTerra Foundation Managing Director Emese van Maanen said: “We are very proud to work with and support serious players in Brazil who commit to robust socio-environmental policies that can meet European and global expectations. This step shows how important international collaboration is in order to create scale and positive impact.”
A special soy product, called soy protein concentrate, is used in salmon feed. CJ Selecta, Caramuru and Imcopa are the Brazilian producers of soy protein concentrate.
WWF
Together with the sustainability standard owner ProTerra and WWF Brazil, the soy suppliers have agreed |on a robust monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system to implement and enforce their commitment to zero deforestation”.
“The Brazilian suppliers have delivered certified and deforestation free soy to the European aquaculture industry for a number of years, while delivering non-guaranteed products to other markets. This new commitment extends their deforestation-free commitment to their entire soybean business, also outside the salmon value chain. This means that soybeans produced on land converted after August 2020 cannot enter the supply chain of any of these soy companies. The decision will have immediate effect for all new contracts of soy purchase,” the companies wrote.
WWF Brazil Executive Director Maurício Voivodic said that the animal welfare organisation saw the voluntary sector-wide commitment as a “benchmark to inspire other global animal protein sectors, as well as other markets linked to the soy supply chain”. “We celebrate together this relevant private sector-led process for the protection of the unique Brazilian Cerrado,” he added.
