ADM’s responsible soy standard, Cargill’s Triple-S soy program and Cefetra’s CRS 3.1 certification scheme are among the first private standard owner initiatives that been recognized by the European Feed Manufacturers' Federation (FEFAC) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) as meeting the EU trade group’s soy guidelines, a customized benchmarking system to encourage ‘responsibility’ in the sourcing of that commodity.
Angela Booth, chairperson of the FEFAC sustainability committee, said the program owners concerned put significant effort into aligning their schemes with the requirements of the benchmarking review.
“It is now possible for interested market partners to start sourcing in line with the FEFAC soy sourcing guidelines,” she said.
Several NGOs, in the majority Dutch based organziations, criticized the FEFAC soy sourcing guidelines, when they were officially published in August this year. The groups said the guidelines risk legitimizing business as usual, and lowering Dutch, European and even global ambitions on responsible soy.
FEFAC holds that the guidelines, which are also backed by the EU vegetable oil and protein meal industry (FEDIOL) and were developed in consultation with stakeholders in soy growing countries, are “a set of baseline criteria” developed to realize a physical transition of soy produced according to those parameters to Europe.
The EU feed trade group said its objective is to establish a base level in the market and raise that baseline over time.