Sustainable supply chain solutions
Don’t demonise soya
Soya has had its detractors in recent years, condemned by some as an unsustainable crop, linked to loss of biodiversity. Initially, focus was on protecting the Amazon Rainforest. Many NGOs and responsible businesses are today actively protecting this area, but focus has now also turned to Brazil’s savannah land, the Cerrado, which holds 5% of the world’s biodiversity and has continued to disappear almost unnoticed to make way for expanding agriculture, including soya production. In the last few months, the launch of the WWF’s Cerrado conservation campaign has brought the issue of soya back into the media limelight.
But soya is not really the villain of the piece. Those who demand that all soya is ‘bad’ or should somehow be ‘stopped’ have not understood the commercial realities of food production in the 21st century. Very few people understand that soya is traded in millions of tonnes and transported around the world on 60,000-tonne ships. Few are aware of its essential role in feeding the world and a booming human population.
The world’s soya crop currently stands at around 250 million tonnes , with the US, Brazil, Argentina, China, India and Paraguay growing more than 90% of the world’s supply. China and the EU are the two largest importers of soya. In the West, the vast majority of soya meal is used in animal feed, with a minority used in food (soy protein, lecithin, etc). In the Far East, soya was traditionally consumed as food (soy sauce, tofu, etc) but increasing amounts are now being used in animal feed to supply the burgeoning demand for livestock products. Indeed, soya is practically irreplaceable in feeds for pigs and poultry, as nothing else currently provides the same high quality of protein and amino acids in such a nutrient-dense form.
So what’s the point in demonising something that plays such a vital role in modern food production? Instead, the focal point of our industry’s efforts must be to make this a commodity in which we can have complete confidence. In 2011, the Roundtable on Responsible Soya (RTRS) – a global initiative supported by major NGOs such as WWF, industry (such as AB Agri, Unilever and Shell) and farmers – has certified its first 85,000 tonnes of ‘sustainable’ soya and expects to certify 2 million tonnes in 2012. Regardless of the production method – traditional, organic or GM – RTRS simply aspires to make soya sustainable. With an estimated 81% of global soya being GM , the arguments for and against biotechnology have become a largely academic debate – it’s another reality of modern, commercial food production, just like soya.
Put simply, we can’t live without this valuable commodity – so demonisation is not a sensible option. We therefore need to do all we can to make its production sustainable.