27 Jun
2006 - Gland, Switzerland – The first ever shipment
of environment-friendly soy has arrived at the
Swiss port city of Basel on the Rhine River, WWF
announced today.
The 1,000 tons of soy pellets
have been imported by Fenaco, Switzerland’s largest
soy importer. The soy was entirely produced in
compliance with the Basel Criteria, a series of
guidelines established by WWF and Swiss retailer
Coop in 2004 to ensure an ecologically and socially
responsible production.
According to WWF, expanding
soybean cultivation is likely to destroy nearly
22 million hectares of tropical forests and savannah
in South America by 2020 — an area equivalent
to five times the size of Switzerland. But soy
produced in compliance with the Basel Criteria
will not have been grown at the expense of primary
vegetation, WWF says.
“This first shipment, although
small, is proof that soy can be produced and sourced
in a way that respects both people and nature.
The soy industry has no more excuse not to act
more responsibly,” said Duncan Pollard, Director
of WWF’s Global Forest Programme.
“Producers need to move from
clearing virgin habitats to more efficient land
use and agricultural practices, such as growing
soy on existing pastures alternately with cattle
ranching.”
Approximately 210 million tons
of soy were produced in the world in 2005, mainly
to feed pigs, chickens and cattle in order to
meet increasing meat consumption worldwide.
In addition to environmental
standards, the Basel Criteria also enforce minimum
social standards such as living wages and a ban
on child or forced labour. According to WWF, the
soy industry has been known to offer bad working
conditions and even cause social conflicts.
Two major Brazilian suppliers
have now been certified according to the Basel
Criteria, but WWF and its partner Coop hope that
additional companies will follow these examples.
They also hope that eventually all suppliers of
meat and dairy products in Switzerland and around
Europe will demand environment-friendly soy.
With the effort of Fenaco to
increase its imports of environment-friendly soy,
nearly one-third of all soy needed to feed animals
in Switzerland will now meet the Basel Criteria.
The importer also committed not to raise the price
of certified soy in the near future.
“Since consumers don’t have
to pay more for certified soy than for conventional
GMO-free soy, it should be an easy decision to
make,” said Thomas Vellacott, Programme Director
of WWF Switzerland.
“We believe that the Basel Criteria
will also encourage soy producers, agents, retailers
and meat and dairy producers to commit to environment-friendly
soy in the mid-term.”
WWF, Coop and other interested
partners have launched an international process,
the Roundtable on Responsible Soy, with the goal
to develop broad-based criteria for responsible
soy production at a worldwide level. The Basel
Criteria are an important step in this direction,
WWF says.
END NOTES:
1. The Basel Criteria in brief:
• No conversion of primary vegetation and High
Conservation Value Areas (HCVA) to agriculture
land after 2004; compensatory measures for conversions
between 1995 and 2004
• No use of genetically-modified organisms and
material
• Maintaining soil and water quality by introducing
better management practices
• Enforcing social standards, e.g. living wages
and ban on child or forced labour
• Full traceability and independent control throughout
the supply chain
2. Key facts and figures in
brief:
• Annual soy production worldwide: approx. 210
million tons (2005)
• Annual soy consumption for animal feed in the
EU: approx. 25 million tons (2002)
• Annual soy consumption for animal feed for overall
food supply in Switzerland (incl. consumption
for imported meat, eggs etc.): approx. 460,000
tons
• Annual Swiss soy imports for animal feed production:
225,000 to 250,000 tons
• Agricultural area required for 460,000 tons
of soy: 170,000 hectares
3. The following companies and
organizations support soy in compliance with Basel
Criteria: In Switzerland: Coop (retailer), Fenaco
(soy importer, compound feedstuff producer), Baer
(dairy product manufacturer), Egli (importer),
Swiss Farmers’ Association, Cert-ID (certifier),
IQS/TÜV Rheinland (certifier). In Brazil:
IMCOPA (producer), Agrenco (producer).
Thomas Vellacott / Soh
Koon Chng / Olivier van Bogaert
