What is soy?
Soy is an annual legume that produces an edible bean containing a high content of protein (40 - 50%) and oil (20%). Because of the composition of its amino acid, soy is a good source of protein for human nutrition (for example via tofu and tempeh), but it is also eminently suitable for animal feed. Soy oil is one of the most widely consumed vegetable oils globally. The greater part of the world’s soy production is used as animal feed. Because of its high yield of protein per hectare (1.5 – 3.0 tonnes/hectare) and its good fatty acid composition, soy has a very favourable price-quality ratio in comparison with other sources of protein. 

Why has the Task Force Sustainable Soy been established?
It is anticipated that the worldwide demand for soy will continue to undergo a great increase. A major challenge for the near future is to ensure that this increase in demand can be met in the most sustainable manner possible. The Task Force Sustainable Soy (TFSS) is a platform of Dutch companies active in the soy chain that wish to contribute to the ecologically and socially responsible cultivation of soy. It is the opinion of the TFSS that an international approach targeting the increased sustainability of the regular bulk stream of soy is the most effective. The Task Force therefore supports the Round Table on Responsible Soy, in which industry and societal organizations at an international level develop principles, criteria and indicators for sustainable soy. 

What does the Round Table on Responsible Soy do?
In the general meeting of the Round Table on Responsible Soy in May 2007, it was agreed that verifiable criteria be laid down for the following social and environmental themes for soy cultivation:  

• Employees’ rights
• Land rights
• Respect for small-scale and traditional land use
•  Well-being of local population
• Protection of biodiversity
• Water use
• Soil fertility
• Use of pesticides
• Impact on infrastructure

By the end of 2008, criteria must have been developed for sustainable soy, and it must be clear how these can be applied and monitored in practice. An international working group with representatives from the soy chain and societal organizations are currently working on this. Public consultation sessions have also been planned, and these must result ultimately in sustainability criteria that can count on receiving broad international support.  

Will soy cultivation be at the expense of the Amazon?
The major Brazilian soy production areas lie outside the Amazon biome, although soy is also cultivated there to a limited extent (1 - 2%) as are a variety of other agricultural crops. It is the desire of the Task Force Sustainable Soy that the expansion of soy cultivation in South America takes place in a responsible manner. An important initiative in the area of sustainable soy is the Amazon Moratorium. In June 2006, Brazilian soy processors and traders, in consultation with the European industry and societal organizations such as Greenpeace, decided that for a minimum period of two years they would not purchase any soybeans cultivated on land in the Amazonian rainforest that had been subjected to deforestation after 24 July 2006. The period of two years will be made use of, inter alia, to arrive at an adequate monitoring system and regulations for responsible land use. 

Is slave labour used in the production of soy?
There are reports that in land clearance in South America quite frequent use is made of workers who are denied any form of rights. As Task Force we are of course vehemently opposed to any form of slavery. However, it is difficult to verify whether ultimately soy is cultivated on this land, and this matter must be investigated further. For this reason, we believe that it is important that the rights of workers are included on the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) agenda. The nature and magnitude of this problem must be assessed in the RTRS in order to arrive at plans leading to its ultimate solution. The subject of slave labour is a feature of the Amazon Moratorium, in which a moratorium is applicable to soy from the Amazon area and to trade with companies that perpetrate the use of slave labour. 

What is the Task Force’s attitude to the use of soy that is grown on land from which the local population have been violently dispossessed?
In large parts of Brazil, the rights of land ownership are a juridically complex matter. In many instances the legislation is not unambiguous. Consequently, there are regular occurrences of various parties laying claim to the same piece of land. This causes conflicts. For this reason, land rights are included on the agenda of the Round Table on Responsible Soy.  

What is the Task Force’s attitude with respect to genetically modified soy?
On the basis of their client’s wishes, the companies participating in the Task Force make an appraisal as to whether or not they supply products that are made from genetically modified soy.  According to various societal organizations there is now soy available that has been produced in a responsible manner. What does the Task Force think about this?This relates to initiatives in which criteria have been defined in the context of small-scale sustainable soy production. Unilateral imposition by individual companies of sustainability criteria shall at most lead to the coming into being of niche markets. It is the opinion of the Task Force that the efforts should be devoted to making the regular bulk stream of soy more sustainable. Therefore, in an international context and via the Round Table on Responsible Soy, the sustainability issues are analysed and subsequently sustainability criteria are developed that can be applied in practice and for which there is sufficient support both in the soy producing countries and in the countries that import the soy. 

What does the Dutch government think about the sustainability initiatives for soy cultivation?
In the letter ‘Duurzame soja’ (sustainable soy; Dutch language) of 6 June 2007, Minister Verburg indicates that the cabinet shares society’s concern about the negative effects that accompany the expansion of soy cultivation, and in particular in Argentina and Brazil. The Dutch government is developing its own activities in order to further a sustainable soy sector, and participates in and supports the initiatives of industry and NGOs. According to Verburg, the Round Table on Responsible Soy is the most important instrument for this purpose. The government values the role played by these NGOs, industry and (research) institutions in the consultations that are directed towards achieving sustainable soy chains, and wishes to continue the collaboration.