International Round Table on Responsible Soy lays down pioneering criteria

Campinas, Brazil, 29 May 2009 - The international Round Table on Responsible Soy Association (RTRS) today stipulated that valuable areas of natural beauty near rivers and springs must be protected and the property rights of local populations respected. Furthermore, no new plantations may be established in areas containing valuable natural habitats. This has been stipulated in pioneering criteria and principles to which 108 major companies, societal organizations and farmers are committed.

The Round Table on Responsible Soy Association is an international initiative set up by farmers, societal organizations and the soy processing industry in order to make the global production of soy sustainable. Today, a first important step has been made by the definition of the criteria for the responsible production of soy.

The Dutch Task Force Sustainable Soy has been involved in the negotiations between all the relevant stakeholders. Frans Claassen, chairman of this task force, is pleased that the RTRS has succeeded in achieving consensus between farmers, companies and societal organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund and Solidaridad. Claassen: “Before the meeting it was not certain that the parties would reach agreement. During the meeting one of the farmers’ organizations left the table because its members could not reconcile themselves with the strict criteria. However, we hope that they might join in again later.”

The determination of criteria for responsible production is the first major result achieved by the International Round Table on Responsible Soy. This does not mean that the certified soy is already actually on the market. Work will now have to be carried out in testing the criteria in practice, setting up a system of certification in order to make independent verification possible, and setting up systems to organize the chain. A number of stakeholders agreed that efforts must be made to find ways in which to link up a system into the carbon emission market.