WIREDGOV

A new report published recently by WWF has highlighted the impact that the growing global demand for soya is having on sensitive environments around the world such as the little known Brazilian savannah, the Cerrado. Soya is grown predominantly for animal feed and vegetable oil, with the main use being in soya meal, as a source of protein for poultry, pig and cattle feeds. In the last 15 years, production of the crop has doubled, driven largely by the rising consumption of meat, as well as for use in food, biofuel and other products.

Around two thirds of soya produced globally is traded, with China being the largest importer (37%) followed by the EU (28%). Although the United States is currently the largest global exporter of soya beans and products with little land there available for expansion, soya agriculture is booming in South America, in particular in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia. Indeed, the UK imports more than 70% of its soya directly from Argentina and Brazil.

To meet this growth in demand, more and more land is being planted with soya; in Brazil alone, the area planted with soya is already the size of the entire United Kingdom. However, this expansion is often at the expense of habitats such as the Brazilian Cerrado, a globally important savannah which is on its own responsible for 5% of the world’s biodiversity and which is currently experiencing habitat destruction at a faster rate and on a similar scale to that in the Amazon.
Additionally, the annual carbon dioxide emissions associated with conversion of the Cerrado (2002-09) are estimated by the Brazilian government to be more than half the total emissions from the United Kingdom for 2009, probably already exceeding those from Amazon deforestation. British food producers, retailers and consumers, argues WWF, have a responsibility to use their buying and eating choices to reduce the pressure on ecosystems like the Cerrado.

WWF-UK is calling on supermarkets, producers and famers to sign up to credible multi-stakeholder schemes, such as the Round Table for Responsible Soy (RTRS), which sets strict environmental and social standards for soya production. WWF was one of the founders of RTRS, which specifies robust criteria for soya production including for the protection of biodiversity, native forests and other areas important to conservation. Additionally, RTRS includes criteria to respect land tenure claims and to ensure fair working conditions for local people.

Commenting on the report, Isabella Vitali, Senior Policy Officer on Livestock and Soya at WWF UK, said: “Through the consumption of livestock raised on soya, UK consumers may be unwittingly contributing to the destruction of some of the worlds most valuable habitats. WWF believes that schemes like RTRS can be an effective way of tackling the problems associated with soya expansion and help to preserve unique habitats for future generations.

“RTRS is not a silver bullet, however, and other ways in which we can reduce the impact of soya agriculture on areas like the Cerrado include changes to our diets, cutting down on waste, and supporting effective legislation to protect valuable habitats.

“Last week saw the biggest threat to Brazilian forests in recent history due to the progression of legislation that significantly weakens forest protection in Brazil. This just highlights the importance of initiatives like RTRS. Soya grown on land cleared in the dramatic rush to deforest that we are currently experiencing could not be RTRS certified”3

RTRS soya is available for sale for the first time this year and WWF-UK is therefore asking businesses in the UK to sign up to the scheme to help to the create demand for the certified soya and to help ensure that the initiative expands. UK members of RTRS already include M&S, Waitrose, Asda and Unilever as well as producers of agricultural inputs, animal feed and biofuels. WWF is asking UK consumers to back the campaign and ask their local supermarkets to sign up to RTRS: more information on the Save the Cerrado campaign can be found at www.wwf.org.uk/cerrado.

Editor's notes

1. The full report, Soya and the Cerrado, will be available at: www.wwf.org.uk/soyareport from Tuesday, or as a pdf under embargo on request.

2. The Cerrado region in Brazil is home to 5% of all the species that exist globally and to one on three of all Brazilian species. It is the second biggest biome in Brazil after the Amazon and a recent checklist of vascular (i.e. flowering) plants in the biome identified more than 11,000 species, of which around 44% are endemic – that is, they appear nowhere else in the world. It has already lost more than half of its original vegetation due to the expansion of the frontiers of agricultural and livestock raising activities and less than 3% of its area is strictly protected in conservation units.

3. Further details on changes to the Brazilian Forest Code and the surge of deforestation that accompanies this can be found at:
http://www.wwf.org.uk/news_feed.cfm?4961/Shocking-news-from-Brazil---but-the-fight-to-save-forests-goes-on
http://www.wwf.org.uk/news_feed.cfm?4947/How-we-can-stop-deforestation-surge-in-Brazil

4. WWF is one of the world's largest independent conservation organisations, with more than five million supporters and a global network active in more than one hundred countries. We're working to create solutions to the most serious environmental issues facing our planet, so that people and nature can thrive. Through our engagement with the public, businesses and government, we focus on safeguarding the natural world, tacking climate change and changing the way we live. In 2011, WWF's 50th anniversary year, we are celebrating what we have achieved so far together, and are positive about tackling the challenges of the future. Find out more about our work, past and present at www.wwf.org.uk.

For further information, please contact:
Jo Sargent, tel: 01483 412 375, email jsargent@wwf.org.uk
Benjamin Ward, tel: 07831 134 193, email bward@wwf.org.uk