Agrifirm publishes procurement protocol for guaranteed deforestation-free soy
Cooperatives Agrifirm and FrieslandCampina are jointly working towards a physically separated supply chain of guaranteed deforestation- and conversion-free soy in Europe. Agrifirm has published the procurement protocol for deforestation- and conversion-free soy so that this information is available to other parties that wish to make the transition to guaranteed deforestation- and conversion-free soy for animal feed.
Introduction
Cooperatives Agrifirm and FrieslandCampina are jointly working towards a physically separated supply chain of guaranteed deforestation- and conversion-free soy in Europe. Agrifirm has published the procurement protocol for deforestation- and conversion-free soy so that this information is available to other parties that wish to make the transition to guaranteed deforestation- and conversion-free soy for animal feed.
"Our commitment is, on the one hand, to have guarantees that the soy we process in animal feed is completely deforestation-free. On the other hand, we also want to continue to exert a positive influence in areas at risk of deforestation. We choose not to withdraw from high-risk areas, but rather to stimulate demand for deforestation- and conversion-free soy in these areas," says Ruud Tijssens, Group Director Public & Cooperative Affairs at Royal Agrifirm Group. "For example, the first delivery of 12,822 tonnes of guaranteed deforestation- and conversion-free soy for our joint pilot came from a high-risk area in Brazil."
The procurement protocol includes a definition of deforestation- and land conversion-free soy and a study of the risk of deforestation and land conversion in Canada, the US, Paraguay and the states of Brazil. For the joint pilot with FrieslandCampina, Agrifirm purchases soy in one or more of these countries and states. Different verification requirements are imposed on the supply chain based on the risk profile of the country or state. Suppliers of soy from regions with a high risk of deforestation and land conversion must meet more extensive verification requirements than soy suppliers from regions with a low risk of deforestation and land conversion.
"It is important that we work towards the use of genuinely deforestation- and conversion-free soy in the dairy chain. As far as we are concerned, the purchase of genuinely deforestation- and conversion-free soy will become standard as soon as possible. The purchasing protocol provides clear guidelines and the first experiences show that it is possible to set up a deforestation- and conversion-free soy chain to Europe," continues Ruud Tijssens. "Since March 2022, over 20,000 tonnes of guaranteed deforestation-free soy have been supplied by Agrifirm and put into production for FrieslandCampina's dairy farmers."
The protocol also describes the role of certification. RTRS certification of the physical soy is one of the options for purchasing deforestation-free and conversion-free soy, as is the purchase of physical soy in accordance with certification schemes that meet the FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guidelines and conversion-free criterion no. 34. For all physical soy that is not purchased in accordance with one of these schemes, Agrifirm will continue to purchase RTRS Book & Claim certificates in order to comply with all sector agreements. The protocol and this approach were discussed with key stakeholders such as NGOs in the spring of 2022.
The procurement protocol for deforestation- and conversion-free soy applies to the purchase of all soy by Agrifirm for the pilot since March 2022. Agrifirm is investigating the possibility of procurement all imported soy in accordance with the purchasing protocol. In the run-up to March 2023, FrieslandCampina and Agrifirm will evaluate the practical experiences with the protocol and the feedback from the stakeholder field. The protocol will be refined and republished in the spring of 2023.
For more information, see: www.agrifirm.com/responsible-sourcing.