First Import Human and Environment-friendly Soy for Dutch Cattle

The import of this soy is a result of agreements made earlier this year between dairy cooperative Campina, Stichting Natuur enMilieu, the World Wildlife Fund and Solidaridad.

14/11/06 The first human- and environment-friendly soy will be unloaded from the sea-going vessel Ikaria in the harbour of Amsterdam. This soy will be processed to make cattle feed. The Brazilian soy is produced without affecting tropical rainforests and natural reserves and with respect for the rights of the local population. The soy is certified in accordance with the so-called Basel criteria. The import of this soy is a result of agreements made earlier this year between dairy cooperative Campina, Stichting Natuur enMilieu, the World Wildlife Fund and Solidaridad.

Important first step

For the social organisations involved the import of this first 10,000 tons of responsibly produced soy is an important first step towards sustainability of the total Dutch soy import. Soy is a protein-rich pulse which is primarily used in the production of animal feed. Now a concrete and sustainable alternative is available to set the standard and not only within the dairy sector where Campina is a leading international player, but also in the meat sector where considerably more soy is used as feed for the production of pork and chicken.

Wide market acceptance crucial for solving problem

Expanding the market for sustainable soy is of crucial importance in counteracting the social and ecological problems which the cultivation of soy creates in parts of South America. Owing to the large demands for soy, valuable natural reserves such as forests and savannahs are being sacrificed to make room for arable farming. The large-scale use of pesticides and fertilizers contaminates soil and rivers and threatens the daily existence of Indian communities. The strongly mechanised large-scale cultivation of soy disrupts the local economy forcing the rural population to move to the slums of the country’s major cities. Soy cultivation violates the rights of workers and instances of modern slavery have even been witnessed.

Dutch industry can be protagonist

After China, the Netherlands is the largest importer of soy. The Dutch industrial sector can therefore play an important role in the promotion of responsibly produced soy. Last year, partly on an initiative by the World Wildlife Fund and Solidaridad, an international round table meeting was organised to discuss the issue of responsibly produced soy. Many large international organisations took part and agreed in September to tackle sustainability of the sector on a worldwide basis. It was also agreed that a start would be made to take concrete steps where possible now. Campina responded to this appeal by ordering its first consignment of responsibly produced soy. By 2011 at the latest Campina hopes to obtain all the soy it needs to feed the cows at its member-dairy farms in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, an annual 150,000 tons, from a reliable source. This first shipment of soy was imported, at Campina’s request, through Cefetra for the cattle feed suppliers Hendris UTD (Nutreco), Agrifirm, Cehave Landbouwbeland, Boerendbond Deurne and De Heus Brokking.