The Roundtable on Responsible soy reaches agreement on criteria

The RTRS has reached agreement on a set of "Principles and Criteria for Responsible Soy" that establish the basis for developing a standard for the production, trade and processing of responsible soy.

For the past 18 months, the RTRS and several industry experts have been working in the development of the Principles and Criteria. The document was presented for public consultation and has 5 main principles:

1. Legal Compliance and Best business practices.
2. Responsible Labour Conditions.
3. Responsible Community Relations.
4. Environmental Responsibility.
5. Best Agricultural practices.

This document includes point 4.4, that states:

Expansion for soy cultivation during field test period may not take place on land cleared of native habitat after May 2009.

Exception: Producers who want or plan to clear native habitat after the cut-off date of May 2009 must produce scientific evidence from a comprehensive and professional third-party assessment of the area concerned that identifies the absence of:

• all primary forest
• other High Conservation Value Areas (HCVAs)
• local peoples' lands

Payment for Environmental Services will be explored during field test period beginning after the cut-off date of May 2009.

Following this agreement, the RTRS will start to develop each national application and field trials in producer countries, for a year. In addition, the Code of Conduct was also approved also unanimously. This code is a mechanism to promote shared responsibility throughout the soy value chain.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Soy is made up of over 100 members including soy farmers, traders, retailers and financial institutes, as well as NGOs.

You can download the press release here.
A copy of the criteria is attached below.

WWF, one of the key partners in and initiators of the RTRS sees the agreement as "a milestone step" and explains the process and outcomes in more detail here.

Friends of the Earth Europe issued a press release (in advance of the publication of the agreement) warning that the agreement is "nothing short of greenwash and should be abandoned ... the only responsible soy is less soy... We need to tackle the real problems behind this damaging system such as over-consumption in industrialised countries and the inequitable distribution of resources like land and water." See here.