Last year, Brazilian soy suppliers to the European salmon industry, CJ Selecta, Caramuru and Imcopa, announced that they would implement a 100 percent deforestation and conversion free soybean value chain with 2020 as their cut-off date. The commitment, abolishing trade of any soy grown on land deforested after this deadline to any customer, set a new benchmark for sustainable supply chains globally.

Deforestation free goal achieved

Now, two of the soy suppliers, CJ Selecta and Caramuru, have achieved the goal, according to a new report. The international certification foundation ProTerra is monitoring and verifying that no farmer engaged in deforestation is allowed to sell soy to these suppliers.

“It is great news that Brazilian soy producers for the very first time are confirmed to be fully deforestation and conversion free in all their operations,” Nils Hermann Ranum of the Rainforest Foundation Norway said to Aftenposten.

“Demanding that suppliers are fully deforestation free is necessary to stop ongoing deforestation in Brazil. Private sector companies have a responsibility to avoid contributing to deforestation and environmental damage, and the Norwegian salmon industry and their suppliers set an important example that other food producers must follow,” says Ranum.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of the monitoring, verification and reporting (MRV) system, contracts, and names from public lists of social and environmental liabilities were randomly selected and checked against the names in the company soy receiving report. Using satellite techniques and embargo lists the newly published audit report confirms that these soy supply chains have become deforestation and conversion free.

The audit report also confirmed that the farmers did not have any work related to slavery or illegal labour and that there were no agriculture overlaps with Indigenous lands.

The third company, Cervejaria Petropolis-Imcopa, is in a corporate change and is currently participating in a separate audit process.

Grieg Seafood congratulates CJ Selecta and Caramuru

"We work hard to reduce our impact in production and our supply chains, as we need to move towards a more sustainable food system. Being the first sector to have confirmed deforestation and conversion free Brazilian suppliers is a huge step forward,” says Tor Eirik Homme, Director of Feed and Nutrition in Grieg Seafood.

“We congratulate and celebrate this historic achievement with CJ Selecta and Caramuru. The move proves that sometimes it’s the small companies that take the boldest action. We hope the rest of the Brazilian soy industry will follow their example," Homme says.

There is always a risk that a farmer that does not apply to the rules, tries to sell their crop via an intermediate. This first audit did not focus on possible indirect suppliers, but a solution for indirect soy suppliers is also part of the MRV system adopted and will be addressed by the engaged companies going forward.