GMP+ International and RTRS Sign Cooperation Agreement

Representatives from the Round Table on Responsible Soy Association (RTRS) and GMP+ International have signed an agreement of cooperation in order to make certified responsible soy more accessible to a series of markets.

21 Jan 2013 --- GMP+ International together with RTRS created the new standard GMP+ B101 Production and trade of responsible soy. The main goal is to provide GMP+ participants the possibility for certification for both Feed Safety Assurance and Feed Responsibility Assurance imbedden within a single certification scheme. This prevents overlap of requirements, ensures uniform standards and conditions and allows for limiting the administrative burden of certifications. One (successful) audit would result in certification of multiple scopes.

RTRS Executive Director Agustin Mascotena underlines the importance of the agreement: “This is a big step forward in response to market demand to synergize and simplify existing processes in order to save time and costs.” GMP+ International’s Managing Director Johan den Hartog argues: “This agreement contributes to provide a ‘one stop shop – multiple certification’ approach which we pursuits in the benefit is the companies we want to serve”.

Many organisations involved in the soy production chain already have a GMP+ Feed Safety Assurance certificate. Growers of soy however do not. For that reason, the focus of this agreement is on the organisations that process soy beans (such as soy crushers) and traders. The growers of soy must be certified according to the RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production.

Within this standard the following scopes are defined:

A. RTRS Mass Balance system: If the participant uses the mass balance system, the company can produce and/or trade both non-responsible soy and responsible soy. Using a material accounting system the participant must ensure that no more responsible soy is sold in relation to what is bought. This system does not ensure that the participant sells in a specific batch, soy that is RTRS certified.

B. RTRS Segregated system: If the participant uses the segregated system, the responsible soy is kept physically separate from non-responsible soy throughout the entire supply chain.

Mascotena concludes: “For the RTRS this agreement means leveraging a wide, recognized and tested network, facilitating an increase in scope and immediate impact.”