The UK Soy Manifesto has called for ‘urgent action and immediate dialogue’ following the news that global soy traders, and their representative body, ABIOVE, have withdrawn from the Amazon Soy Moratorium (ASM).
The Manifesto, a coalition of over 50 businesses representing more than 60% of the UK’s soy demand, is calling on global shippers to maintain the 2008 deforestation cut-off date on an individual company basis until a long-term solution can be found.
‘Work collaboratively’
“The UK Soy Manifesto is ready to support this dialogue and to work collaboratively towards a solution that both protects forests and supports and strengthens future soy production in Brazil, for the benefit of soy farmers, international food security and the global climate change crisis,” commented Jonathan Gorman, secretariat of the UK Soy Manifesto.
The ASM, a voluntary agreement that has been in place since 2006, helped protect at least 1.8 million hectares of Amazonian forest in its first decade, while also promoting the sustainable expansion of soy cultivation. Without it, more forests could be at risk, directly and indirectly, from deforestation.
The withdrawal of global traders and ABIOVE from the ASM has ‘major implications’ for both the sector and the protection of the Amazon biome, the coalition added.
Increased efforts
The coalition is calling on governments, financial institutions, farmers, buyers, and civil society to ‘commit to a new constructive dialogue’ to safeguard the environmental and economic achievements of the ASM, while continuing to support resilient and deforestation-free soy production in Brazil.
‘For signatories of the UK Soy Manifesto and the broader UK market, the Moratorium has long served as a clear, transparent, and credible reference framework for responsible soy sourcing,’ the coalition said in a statement. ‘Since 2006, it has underpinned confidence in Brazilian soy supply chains and supported access to international markets. The security and resilience of these soy supply chains is increasingly critical for international markets including the UK, Europe and China.’ Read more here.
