Headline news on Soy & Sustainability
The soy and rapeseed industries which lag behind palm oil in certification, are ramping up their sustainability.
Read curated news on the soy industry with a focus on environmental impact and sustainability
Read curated news on the soy industry with a focus on environmental impact and sustainability
|
|
|
June 16, 2023 Soy: The agro-industry that devastates the Maya jungle
- Hopelchén is today one of the leading soybean producers in the country. Occupying that place has had a very high cost for biodiversity. In 20 years, this municipality in Campeche lost at least 153,809 hectares (380,070 acres) of tree cover, representing three times the area of Cozumel island.
- The expansion of soybeans in that region has gone hand in hand with processes of leasing and privatization of lands that were previously communal lands under collective ownership and government subsidies that benefit, above all, large producers.
- In the last seven years, the environmental authorities have not authorized any change in the use of forestland in Hopelchén. Clearing continues and has intensified in recent years, according to satellite images. Mongabay
May 04, 2023. Grain trader Cargill faces legal challenge in US over Brazilian soya supply chain
World’s biggest grain trader accused of ‘shoddy due diligence’ on deforestation and alleged rights violations
The world’s largest grain trader, Cargill, is facing a first-ever legal challenge in the United States over its failure to remove deforestation and human rights abuses from its soya supply chain in Brazil.
ClientEarth, an environmental law organisation, filed the formal complaint on Thursday, accusing Cargill of inadequate monitoring and a laggard response to the decline of the Amazon rainforest and other globally important biomes, such as the Cerrado savannah and the Atlantic Forest.
The case, which was submitted under the guidelines of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, argues that Cargill’s “shoddy due diligence raises the risk that the meat sold in supermarkets across the world is raised on so-called ‘dirty’ soy”. ClientEarth says this breaches the international code on responsible business conduct. The GuardianUK
World’s biggest grain trader accused of ‘shoddy due diligence’ on deforestation and alleged rights violations
The world’s largest grain trader, Cargill, is facing a first-ever legal challenge in the United States over its failure to remove deforestation and human rights abuses from its soya supply chain in Brazil.
ClientEarth, an environmental law organisation, filed the formal complaint on Thursday, accusing Cargill of inadequate monitoring and a laggard response to the decline of the Amazon rainforest and other globally important biomes, such as the Cerrado savannah and the Atlantic Forest.
The case, which was submitted under the guidelines of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, argues that Cargill’s “shoddy due diligence raises the risk that the meat sold in supermarkets across the world is raised on so-called ‘dirty’ soy”. ClientEarth says this breaches the international code on responsible business conduct. The GuardianUK
December 07, 2022. At COP27, agribusiness giants pledge to end environmental destruction while they keep buying soy from deforesters
Amaggi, Cargill and Bunge have signed a commitment to eliminate deforestation by 2025, but an investigation conducted by ‘Repórter Brasil’ shows how companies fail to meet even their own environmental preservation targets and help soy produced in deforested areas to reach Europe
To eliminate all deforestation resulting from their operations by 2025. That was the joint promise made at COP27 (the UN Conference on Climate Change) by 14 world agribusiness giants, including Brazilian companies JBS and Marfrig (animal protein) and Amaggi (soy), in addition to other world export commodity leaders such as Cargill, Bunge, Cofco and LDC (Louis Dreyfus Company).
Despite the commitment – formalized in a document that sets targets to end deforestation and reduce emissions – an investigation conducted by Repórter Brasil shows how several multinationals that signed the pledge repeatedly fail to monitor their suppliers and continue to buy from deforesters. Reporter Brasil
Amaggi, Cargill and Bunge have signed a commitment to eliminate deforestation by 2025, but an investigation conducted by ‘Repórter Brasil’ shows how companies fail to meet even their own environmental preservation targets and help soy produced in deforested areas to reach Europe
To eliminate all deforestation resulting from their operations by 2025. That was the joint promise made at COP27 (the UN Conference on Climate Change) by 14 world agribusiness giants, including Brazilian companies JBS and Marfrig (animal protein) and Amaggi (soy), in addition to other world export commodity leaders such as Cargill, Bunge, Cofco and LDC (Louis Dreyfus Company).
Despite the commitment – formalized in a document that sets targets to end deforestation and reduce emissions – an investigation conducted by Repórter Brasil shows how several multinationals that signed the pledge repeatedly fail to monitor their suppliers and continue to buy from deforesters. Reporter Brasil
November 17, 2022. Soy Manifesto: UK food giants sign up to sustainable soy transition plan
Nearly 40 leading UK food companies and soy supply importers provide update on progress against deforestation-free soy commitments
The signatories to last year's UK Soy Manifesto have today unveiled a new action plan designed to deliver on their pledge to ensure all soy imports are deforestation and conversion free by 2025.
Unveiled last year, the UK Soy Manifesto is backed by 38 leading UK food firms that represent nearly 60 per cent of the country's soy consumption, including Tesco, Waitrose, Nando's, KFC, Lidl, and McDonald's. It is also signed by the Agricultural Industries Confederation, which represents the agri-business giants that dominate soy imports to the UK, ADM, Cargill, Cefetra, and Viterra.
To coincide with COP27's 'Solutions Day', the group today published an update on progress against its zero-deforestation goal, confirming plans to produce a quarterly soy deforestation risk register for UK soy imports that will track the UK's progress in the importation of deforestation and conversion free soy. Business Green
Nearly 40 leading UK food companies and soy supply importers provide update on progress against deforestation-free soy commitments
The signatories to last year's UK Soy Manifesto have today unveiled a new action plan designed to deliver on their pledge to ensure all soy imports are deforestation and conversion free by 2025.
Unveiled last year, the UK Soy Manifesto is backed by 38 leading UK food firms that represent nearly 60 per cent of the country's soy consumption, including Tesco, Waitrose, Nando's, KFC, Lidl, and McDonald's. It is also signed by the Agricultural Industries Confederation, which represents the agri-business giants that dominate soy imports to the UK, ADM, Cargill, Cefetra, and Viterra.
To coincide with COP27's 'Solutions Day', the group today published an update on progress against its zero-deforestation goal, confirming plans to produce a quarterly soy deforestation risk register for UK soy imports that will track the UK's progress in the importation of deforestation and conversion free soy. Business Green
October 28, 2022 Companies' 'deforestation-free' supply chain pledges have barely impacted forest clearance in the Amazon, researchers say
More companies must make and implement zero-deforestation supply chain commitments in order to significantly reduce deforestation and protect diverse ecosystems, say researchers.
Corporate pledges not to buy soybeans produced on land deforested after 2006 have reduced tree clearance in the Brazilian Amazon by just 1.6% between 2006 and 2015.
This equates to a protected area of 2,300 km2 in the Amazon rainforest: barely the size of Oxfordshire in the UK.
The findings, made by tracing traders' soy supplies back to their source, are published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters. The work involved a team from the University of Cambridge, Boston University, ETH Zurich and New York University.
The researchers also discovered that in the Cerrado, Brazil's tropical savannah, zero-deforestation commitments have not been adopted effectively -- leaving over 50% of soy-suitable forests and their biodiversity without protection. Science Direct
--------
More companies must make and implement zero-deforestation supply chain commitments in order to significantly reduce deforestation and protect diverse ecosystems, say researchers.
Corporate pledges not to buy soybeans produced on land deforested after 2006 have reduced tree clearance in the Brazilian Amazon by just 1.6% between 2006 and 2015.
This equates to a protected area of 2,300 km2 in the Amazon rainforest: barely the size of Oxfordshire in the UK.
The findings, made by tracing traders' soy supplies back to their source, are published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters. The work involved a team from the University of Cambridge, Boston University, ETH Zurich and New York University.
The researchers also discovered that in the Cerrado, Brazil's tropical savannah, zero-deforestation commitments have not been adopted effectively -- leaving over 50% of soy-suitable forests and their biodiversity without protection. Science Direct
--------
August 05, 2022. UK supermarkets invest $11 million in zero-deforestation soy initiative
UK supermarkets Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose have invested $11 million in the Responsible Commodities Facility (RCF), a new system of financial incentives for farmers in Brazil who commit to deforestation- and conversion-free (DCF) soy cultivation.
Tesco says it will provide finance to 36 farms in the Cerrado region of Brazil, producing 75,000 tons of soy per year (for four years), resulting in the conservation of around 11,000 ha of native vegetation, 4,200 in excess of legal reserves.
The UK’s largest supermarket chain, Tesco, describes the Cerrado, which lies mostly in Brazil, as the world’s most biodiverse savanna, and says it is under threat from high levels of deforestation, mostly driven by the expansion of soy cultivation. All farms in the trial stage will be located in the Matopiba, Goiás, and Mato Grosso regions, areas which Tesco says are at risk of deforestation and biodiversity loss. Circular UK
UK supermarkets Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose have invested $11 million in the Responsible Commodities Facility (RCF), a new system of financial incentives for farmers in Brazil who commit to deforestation- and conversion-free (DCF) soy cultivation.
Tesco says it will provide finance to 36 farms in the Cerrado region of Brazil, producing 75,000 tons of soy per year (for four years), resulting in the conservation of around 11,000 ha of native vegetation, 4,200 in excess of legal reserves.
The UK’s largest supermarket chain, Tesco, describes the Cerrado, which lies mostly in Brazil, as the world’s most biodiverse savanna, and says it is under threat from high levels of deforestation, mostly driven by the expansion of soy cultivation. All farms in the trial stage will be located in the Matopiba, Goiás, and Mato Grosso regions, areas which Tesco says are at risk of deforestation and biodiversity loss. Circular UK
July 14, 2022. Biggest soy traders enlist indirect suppliers to tackle hidden deforestation
Six of the world’s biggest commodity traders have committed to help some of their largest indirect suppliers source soy sustainably in Brazil’s vulnerable Cerrado region.
On June 21, Viterra (formerly Glencore Agriculture), Bunge, ADM, Cargill, LDC and COFCO – as part of a joint partnership called the Soft Commodities ForumExternal link (SCF) – announced their intention to get 19 indirect suppliers on board to help source soy sustainably in Brazil’s Cerrado landscape. All the traders except Viterra have a significant presence in Switzerland (head office, European headquarters or branch office).
A common methodology for indirect suppliers has been developed with the aid of the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oils (ABIOVE) and it is expected that half of the shortlisted indirect suppliers will be on board by the end of the year.
"This joint SCF and ABIOVE initiative is designed to send a strong market signal to producers that SCF members are seeking to do business with suppliers that are in line with SCF objectives, and are capable of tracing their own sourcing to guarantee it is deforestation- and conversion-free," said a consortium statement. Swiss Info
-------
July 13, 2022. Corn and soybeans farmer charged in $46 million false organic grain scheme
A farmer in Minnesota is facing federal fraud charges after he said his chemically treated corn and soybeans were organically grown.
James Wolf was charged last week with federal felony wire fraud, The Associated Press reported.
Officials said the crops grown at his Cottonwood County farm undermined the country’s organic labeling system and he defrauded grain buyers.
Crops listed as organic are grown from seeds that are non-genetically modified and are not treated with chemicals or fertilizers.
Organic items cost more than non-organic ones. Yahoo News
June 16, 2022. Germany’s soy deforestation risk
A new Trase study finds that Germany is exposed to deforestation risk from Brazilian soy embedded in processed products and imported through intermediary countries.
oy is one of the largest sources of commodity deforestation risk for Germany. Globally, soy production has expanded dramatically over the past 50 years, and has more than doubled since 2000 ( UN FAO ), mostly for animal feed. Although crop yields are improving, much of the increase in production has occurred through the expansion of cropland, some of which has come at the expense of tropical forests. Trase
June 01, 2022. What is a Soy Manifesto?
The UK Soy Manifesto (the Manifesto) sets out a clear market requirement from industry (soy users) for all physical shipments of soy to the UK to be deforestation and conversion free as soon as possible, and by 2025 at the latest, with an undertaking from signatories to the Manifesto to embed this requirement in commercial contractual requirements with suppliers. This follows the lead of the existing French Soy Manifesto and sits alongside discussions on similar sustainable soy initiatives in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.
April 16, 2022. 'Agricultural Mafia' clears land to grow soya as rainforests destroyed
Soybean is used in animal feed so that pigs, cattle and chickens grow faster and bigger. The UK contributes to the problem, importing 500,000 tons of Brazilian soya each year.
The first tree came crashing down... swiftly followed by another. And another. As quickly as farmhands could fell them, machinery churned up the timber and bulldozers cleared the next swathe of land.
We are witnessing vandalism of a vital landscape on a huge scale and “justified” by demands from consumers for cheap food.
Thousands of acres of woodland in the Cerrado tropical savanna, in central Brazil, are being destroyed to make way for soybean plantations.
The protein-rich legume is used in animal feed so that pigs, cattle and chicken – including supplies in the UK – grow faster and bigger. Mirror UK
April 08, 2022. Food Navigator reports. From palm oil to GMO feed: How is Europe’s sunflower shortage changing up food production?
Food formulators are being forced to change their recipes, and non-GMO breeders may have to integrate genetically modified feed into animal nutrition, due to the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
In-depth report by Flora Southey on the Ukraine-Russia looks into pertinent factors as sunflower shortages leads to its replacements impacting issues from labels and allergens to organic meat.
Iceland Foods and its failed boycott of palm oil gets honorable mentions as the company abandons its principles over economics. Food Navigator
March 07, 2022. WWF report shows how human soy consumption is hidden in food supply chains
Commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), new research titled ‘Mapping the European Soy Supply Chain’ shows that 90% of the soy Europeans eat is not listed as an ingredient. Instead, it is consumed indirectly as soy is the main animal feed used to produce meat, eggs, fish and dairy products.
In 2020, the average European consumed 237 eggs, 117kg of various dairy products, 58kg of pork, poultry, beef and other meat, and 2kg of farmed fish.
In some cases, such as for chicken and salmon, the amount of soy animal feed is almost equal to that of the food produced. About 95g of soy is needed to produce 100g of farmed salmon, and 96g of soy for 100g of chicken breast.
Investment Monitor
March 04, 2022. Mapping the European Soy Supply Chain
Europeans are unwittingly wiping out forests across the world. According to new research, the average European consumes 60.6 kg of soy per year, the majority of which can be linked to deforested areas and converted savannahs and grasslands in South America. This means that contributing to the destruction of precious natural ecosystems is always just one meal away.
WWF.EU
Six of the world’s biggest commodity traders have committed to help some of their largest indirect suppliers source soy sustainably in Brazil’s vulnerable Cerrado region.
On June 21, Viterra (formerly Glencore Agriculture), Bunge, ADM, Cargill, LDC and COFCO – as part of a joint partnership called the Soft Commodities ForumExternal link (SCF) – announced their intention to get 19 indirect suppliers on board to help source soy sustainably in Brazil’s Cerrado landscape. All the traders except Viterra have a significant presence in Switzerland (head office, European headquarters or branch office).
A common methodology for indirect suppliers has been developed with the aid of the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oils (ABIOVE) and it is expected that half of the shortlisted indirect suppliers will be on board by the end of the year.
"This joint SCF and ABIOVE initiative is designed to send a strong market signal to producers that SCF members are seeking to do business with suppliers that are in line with SCF objectives, and are capable of tracing their own sourcing to guarantee it is deforestation- and conversion-free," said a consortium statement. Swiss Info
-------
July 13, 2022. Corn and soybeans farmer charged in $46 million false organic grain scheme
A farmer in Minnesota is facing federal fraud charges after he said his chemically treated corn and soybeans were organically grown.
James Wolf was charged last week with federal felony wire fraud, The Associated Press reported.
Officials said the crops grown at his Cottonwood County farm undermined the country’s organic labeling system and he defrauded grain buyers.
Crops listed as organic are grown from seeds that are non-genetically modified and are not treated with chemicals or fertilizers.
Organic items cost more than non-organic ones. Yahoo News
June 16, 2022. Germany’s soy deforestation risk
A new Trase study finds that Germany is exposed to deforestation risk from Brazilian soy embedded in processed products and imported through intermediary countries.
oy is one of the largest sources of commodity deforestation risk for Germany. Globally, soy production has expanded dramatically over the past 50 years, and has more than doubled since 2000 ( UN FAO ), mostly for animal feed. Although crop yields are improving, much of the increase in production has occurred through the expansion of cropland, some of which has come at the expense of tropical forests. Trase
June 01, 2022. What is a Soy Manifesto?
The UK Soy Manifesto (the Manifesto) sets out a clear market requirement from industry (soy users) for all physical shipments of soy to the UK to be deforestation and conversion free as soon as possible, and by 2025 at the latest, with an undertaking from signatories to the Manifesto to embed this requirement in commercial contractual requirements with suppliers. This follows the lead of the existing French Soy Manifesto and sits alongside discussions on similar sustainable soy initiatives in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.
April 16, 2022. 'Agricultural Mafia' clears land to grow soya as rainforests destroyed
Soybean is used in animal feed so that pigs, cattle and chickens grow faster and bigger. The UK contributes to the problem, importing 500,000 tons of Brazilian soya each year.
The first tree came crashing down... swiftly followed by another. And another. As quickly as farmhands could fell them, machinery churned up the timber and bulldozers cleared the next swathe of land.
We are witnessing vandalism of a vital landscape on a huge scale and “justified” by demands from consumers for cheap food.
Thousands of acres of woodland in the Cerrado tropical savanna, in central Brazil, are being destroyed to make way for soybean plantations.
The protein-rich legume is used in animal feed so that pigs, cattle and chicken – including supplies in the UK – grow faster and bigger. Mirror UK
April 08, 2022. Food Navigator reports. From palm oil to GMO feed: How is Europe’s sunflower shortage changing up food production?
Food formulators are being forced to change their recipes, and non-GMO breeders may have to integrate genetically modified feed into animal nutrition, due to the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
In-depth report by Flora Southey on the Ukraine-Russia looks into pertinent factors as sunflower shortages leads to its replacements impacting issues from labels and allergens to organic meat.
Iceland Foods and its failed boycott of palm oil gets honorable mentions as the company abandons its principles over economics. Food Navigator
March 07, 2022. WWF report shows how human soy consumption is hidden in food supply chains
Commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), new research titled ‘Mapping the European Soy Supply Chain’ shows that 90% of the soy Europeans eat is not listed as an ingredient. Instead, it is consumed indirectly as soy is the main animal feed used to produce meat, eggs, fish and dairy products.
In 2020, the average European consumed 237 eggs, 117kg of various dairy products, 58kg of pork, poultry, beef and other meat, and 2kg of farmed fish.
In some cases, such as for chicken and salmon, the amount of soy animal feed is almost equal to that of the food produced. About 95g of soy is needed to produce 100g of farmed salmon, and 96g of soy for 100g of chicken breast.
Investment Monitor
March 04, 2022. Mapping the European Soy Supply Chain
Europeans are unwittingly wiping out forests across the world. According to new research, the average European consumes 60.6 kg of soy per year, the majority of which can be linked to deforested areas and converted savannahs and grasslands in South America. This means that contributing to the destruction of precious natural ecosystems is always just one meal away.
WWF.EU
How Indigenous communities in Paraguay are fighting big soy
Amid pesticide contamination and land evictions, tribal leaders say their villages in Paraguay are at a crisis point.
Campo Aguae, Paraguay – Gazing out upon an expanse of razed forest, Tupa Nevanga recalls a time when his native village in Paraguay’s eastern plains teemed with wild honey, bush meat and ancestral plants.
“There was no road into this community. Wild pigs, jaguars and peccaries were everywhere,” the 65-year-old spiritual leader told Al Jazeera. “But it’s all been destroyed.”
The ceremonial dance houses and maize for kagui, a liquor he once used to anoint the tribe’s newborns, are also gone, supplanted by a yawning stretch of soybean plantations. Tribal leaders said what is left of the Ava Guarani’s territory is laced with toxic agrochemicals that are killing crops, livestock and even villagers.
“My prayer for this community is that we rise from this crisis,” Nevanga said.
AlJazeera
U.S. soy giants linked to 'green land grabbing' case in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 23 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Two giant U.S. commodity traders bought soybeans in Brazil from farmers trying to evict a traditional community from South America's largest savanna, where deforestation is hastening global warming, watchdog group Global Witness found on Tuesday.
The Brazilian grains producers, who say they bought the disputed land legally, have been fighting in court since 2017 to evict the Capao do Modesto people from part of the Cerrado, where the cattle herders say they have lived for 200 years. Reuters
Amid pesticide contamination and land evictions, tribal leaders say their villages in Paraguay are at a crisis point.
Campo Aguae, Paraguay – Gazing out upon an expanse of razed forest, Tupa Nevanga recalls a time when his native village in Paraguay’s eastern plains teemed with wild honey, bush meat and ancestral plants.
“There was no road into this community. Wild pigs, jaguars and peccaries were everywhere,” the 65-year-old spiritual leader told Al Jazeera. “But it’s all been destroyed.”
The ceremonial dance houses and maize for kagui, a liquor he once used to anoint the tribe’s newborns, are also gone, supplanted by a yawning stretch of soybean plantations. Tribal leaders said what is left of the Ava Guarani’s territory is laced with toxic agrochemicals that are killing crops, livestock and even villagers.
“My prayer for this community is that we rise from this crisis,” Nevanga said.
AlJazeera
U.S. soy giants linked to 'green land grabbing' case in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 23 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Two giant U.S. commodity traders bought soybeans in Brazil from farmers trying to evict a traditional community from South America's largest savanna, where deforestation is hastening global warming, watchdog group Global Witness found on Tuesday.
The Brazilian grains producers, who say they bought the disputed land legally, have been fighting in court since 2017 to evict the Capao do Modesto people from part of the Cerrado, where the cattle herders say they have lived for 200 years. Reuters
Companies that are adopting a palm oil free approach should be aware of new studies that highlight the climate change impact of palm oil substitutes like soy or canola.
Fresh from COP 26, British Food Firms Vow to Stop Soy Imports from Deforested Areas
More than two dozen companies, including British grocer J Sainsbury Plc, Swiss food giant Nestle SA and French yogurt maker Danone SA, are backing a U.K. initiative to stop soy shipments from deforested regions of the world.
A total 27 firms signed the UK Soy Manifesto, a new industry commitment to ensure physical soy shipments to the U.K. aren’t grown from areas where forests were cut down or native vegetation was converted into farmland after January 2020
The Manifesto with 27 signatories, represent 60% (approx. 2 million tonnes) of UK soy imports, from big food service sector players, retailers and some of the UK’s biggest pork and poultry producers.
.........
A report by Duncan Cameron, Professor of Plant and Soil Biology, University of Sheffield Why the fate of our planet's environment depends on the state of its soil highlighted the many contributions of annual crops like soy or sunflower towards climate changing gases.
A new study from researcher Steven Hall of Iowa State University pointed towards the harmful effects of nitrous oxide emissions:
"In this study, we show that the climate warming effects of nitrous oxide emissions from local corn and soybean soils are two-fold greater than the climate cooling that might be achieved by increasing soil carbon storage with common agricultural practices,"
At a time when eco-claims or environmental claims by brands are being questioned and criticized, palm oil free marketing claims had better be backed up with clear accounting on how the palm oil substitutes are better for climate change.
.........
Fresh from COP 26, British Food Firms Vow to Stop Soy Imports from Deforested Areas
More than two dozen companies, including British grocer J Sainsbury Plc, Swiss food giant Nestle SA and French yogurt maker Danone SA, are backing a U.K. initiative to stop soy shipments from deforested regions of the world.
A total 27 firms signed the UK Soy Manifesto, a new industry commitment to ensure physical soy shipments to the U.K. aren’t grown from areas where forests were cut down or native vegetation was converted into farmland after January 2020
The Manifesto with 27 signatories, represent 60% (approx. 2 million tonnes) of UK soy imports, from big food service sector players, retailers and some of the UK’s biggest pork and poultry producers.
.........
A report by Duncan Cameron, Professor of Plant and Soil Biology, University of Sheffield Why the fate of our planet's environment depends on the state of its soil highlighted the many contributions of annual crops like soy or sunflower towards climate changing gases.
A new study from researcher Steven Hall of Iowa State University pointed towards the harmful effects of nitrous oxide emissions:
"In this study, we show that the climate warming effects of nitrous oxide emissions from local corn and soybean soils are two-fold greater than the climate cooling that might be achieved by increasing soil carbon storage with common agricultural practices,"
At a time when eco-claims or environmental claims by brands are being questioned and criticized, palm oil free marketing claims had better be backed up with clear accounting on how the palm oil substitutes are better for climate change.
.........
A Brazilian tribal chief has warned Welsh soya imports could be responsible for "not only deforestation but indigenous blood".
Rivelino Verá Gabriel said soy farming was wrecking the lifestyle of the South American nation's Mbya Guarani people.
It comes as the effect on deforestation by goods imported to Wales from high risk areas is exposed in a new report.
It has led the Welsh government to promise action on products such as beef, soy and palm oil.
Mr Gabriel lives in Brazil's Atlantic Forest and is a coordinator of the Guarani Yvyrupa Commission, which brings together members of the Guarani people.
Commenting on the report, he said: "People who buy soya must know where it comes from, that there's strong traceability. BBC
.........
Brazil - Demand for soy puts pressure on Pantanal, Brazil’s largest wild wetland
Rivelino Verá Gabriel said soy farming was wrecking the lifestyle of the South American nation's Mbya Guarani people.
It comes as the effect on deforestation by goods imported to Wales from high risk areas is exposed in a new report.
It has led the Welsh government to promise action on products such as beef, soy and palm oil.
Mr Gabriel lives in Brazil's Atlantic Forest and is a coordinator of the Guarani Yvyrupa Commission, which brings together members of the Guarani people.
Commenting on the report, he said: "People who buy soya must know where it comes from, that there's strong traceability. BBC
.........
Brazil - Demand for soy puts pressure on Pantanal, Brazil’s largest wild wetland
- Global demand for soybean has seen annual production of the crop in Brazil soar from 30 million tons in 2000 to 125 million tons today. Most of the agrochemicals consumed in Brazil are used on this crop.
- Soybean farming also accounts for most of the agrochemicals used in Brazil, and the farming activity concentrated in the state of Mato Grosso is now seeing those chemicals washing downstream to the Pantanal wetlands.
- The planet’s largest floodplain, the Pantanal is relatively untouched by agriculture, with only 0.01% of its area occupied by soy farms.
- Scientists have shown that waterways feeding the Pantanal are contaminated and silted up, and that fish are growing scarce in certain locations. Mongabay
GLOBAL - First Soy Traders Scorecard Shows Major Traders Are Not Taking Sufficient Action on Their Environmental and Social Commitments
Washington, D.C., May 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global soy traders are not doing enough to prevent the devastating impacts of soy production on forests and other crucial ecosystems, nor do they adequately tackle human rights abuses in soy supply chains, according to a new Scorecard launched today by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in collaboration with Global Canopy.
This first-of-its-kind Scorecard measures the commitments and actions taken by 22 of the world’s biggest soy traders to address critical environmental and social issues occurring in their supply chains. GlobeNewswire
.........
Brazil - Bunge to step up monitoring of soy suppliers in Brazil's Cerrado biome
SAO PAULO, March 3 (Reuters) - The Brazilian unit of Bunge Ltd is launching an effort to make sure that soybean growers in the Cerrado area who indirectly supply the company are producing their crops in an environmentally responsible way, according to a statement on Wednesday.
The Cerrado biome is a vast tropical savanna or biodiversity hot spot where the bulk of Brazil’s oilseeds are planted.
The company said the move involves guiding grain resellers to implement “chain verification systems,” which include the use of satellite imaging to track the origin of the grains. Reuters
.........
Washington, D.C., May 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global soy traders are not doing enough to prevent the devastating impacts of soy production on forests and other crucial ecosystems, nor do they adequately tackle human rights abuses in soy supply chains, according to a new Scorecard launched today by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in collaboration with Global Canopy.
This first-of-its-kind Scorecard measures the commitments and actions taken by 22 of the world’s biggest soy traders to address critical environmental and social issues occurring in their supply chains. GlobeNewswire
.........
Brazil - Bunge to step up monitoring of soy suppliers in Brazil's Cerrado biome
SAO PAULO, March 3 (Reuters) - The Brazilian unit of Bunge Ltd is launching an effort to make sure that soybean growers in the Cerrado area who indirectly supply the company are producing their crops in an environmentally responsible way, according to a statement on Wednesday.
The Cerrado biome is a vast tropical savanna or biodiversity hot spot where the bulk of Brazil’s oilseeds are planted.
The company said the move involves guiding grain resellers to implement “chain verification systems,” which include the use of satellite imaging to track the origin of the grains. Reuters
.........
Canada - Soybeans may soon need sustainability certification
Canadian sector urged to ponder such a program as EU moves toward requiring proof of sustainable production
Canadian soybean growers may soon need sustainability certification if they want to sell into the European feed market.
Europe is edging toward a sustainability requirement for imported soybeans.
“The European Commission is pushing the feed manufacturers, in Europe, very forcefully to increase the amount of sustainably produced soybeans going into the feed market,” said Ron Davidson, executive director of Soy Canada. Producer
.........
Canadian sector urged to ponder such a program as EU moves toward requiring proof of sustainable production
Canadian soybean growers may soon need sustainability certification if they want to sell into the European feed market.
Europe is edging toward a sustainability requirement for imported soybeans.
“The European Commission is pushing the feed manufacturers, in Europe, very forcefully to increase the amount of sustainably produced soybeans going into the feed market,” said Ron Davidson, executive director of Soy Canada. Producer
.........
Europe - Conversion-free soy part of FeFac new soy guidelines
The European animal feed organisation FeFac presented its new guidelines for the purchase of responsible soy.
An important change from the previous version of the guidelines is the possibility to compare soy programmes on conversion-free soy. This means that the soy has not been grown on converted natural ecosystems such as forests, swamps and savannahs after a specific date. Companies that purchase or use soy and value conversion-free soy can now more easily see which soy programmes pay attention to this. AllAboutFeed
.........
The European animal feed organisation FeFac presented its new guidelines for the purchase of responsible soy.
An important change from the previous version of the guidelines is the possibility to compare soy programmes on conversion-free soy. This means that the soy has not been grown on converted natural ecosystems such as forests, swamps and savannahs after a specific date. Companies that purchase or use soy and value conversion-free soy can now more easily see which soy programmes pay attention to this. AllAboutFeed
.........
US - BRINGING AGRIBUSINESS AND SOYBEAN FARMERS TOGETHER WITH ISA’S CORPORATE PARTNERS PROGRAM
BLOOMINGTON, ILL – February 5, 2021 – As part of a new strategic plan, Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) is turning its marketing and storytelling focus back to its roots, celebrating the Illinois soybean farmer and supporting every aspect of soybean production. ISA is widening that strategic effort to establish partnerships with agriculture companies who are motivated by the same thing: bringing products and services to soybean growers across the state to improve their profitability and sustainability. Ilsoy
.........
BLOOMINGTON, ILL – February 5, 2021 – As part of a new strategic plan, Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) is turning its marketing and storytelling focus back to its roots, celebrating the Illinois soybean farmer and supporting every aspect of soybean production. ISA is widening that strategic effort to establish partnerships with agriculture companies who are motivated by the same thing: bringing products and services to soybean growers across the state to improve their profitability and sustainability. Ilsoy
.........
Ukraine - Ukraine soy black market takes 57pc of official volumes
The suspension of value-added tax (VAT) refunds on soybean exports by the Ukrainian government over the September 2018-May 2020 period saw as much as 57pc of the country's crushed soybean volume coming from the black market.
More than 600,000t of the 1.195mn t processed by Ukrainian crushing plants was sourced from the black market during the 2019-20 season, according to a number of large Ukrainian soybean crushers.
And this is projected to have translated into up to 120,000t of Ukraine's soybean oil having originated from black market product, equal to around 30pc of the country's total soybean oil exports. ArgusMedia
The suspension of value-added tax (VAT) refunds on soybean exports by the Ukrainian government over the September 2018-May 2020 period saw as much as 57pc of the country's crushed soybean volume coming from the black market.
More than 600,000t of the 1.195mn t processed by Ukrainian crushing plants was sourced from the black market during the 2019-20 season, according to a number of large Ukrainian soybean crushers.
And this is projected to have translated into up to 120,000t of Ukraine's soybean oil having originated from black market product, equal to around 30pc of the country's total soybean oil exports. ArgusMedia
|
|
|