ABIOVE reacts to criticism from members of SoS Cerrado

SÃO PAULO, Dec. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ABIOVE, the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries, was indignant to learn of the letters sent to its members by SoS Cerrado – Statement of Support, in which 159 companies in Europe's retail sector and its food and processing industries demanded immediate adoption of purchasing policies with zero deforestation for soy in the Cerrado.

ABIOVE is shocked that these companies would demand that soy originators impose on soy growers an origination policy whose criteria exceed those required by Brazilian legislation.

ABIOVE has been taking part in a dialogue with SoS to seek a balanced solution for gradual reduction and eventual elimination of soy origination from deforested areas of Cerrado.  However, in ABIOVE's commitments, there is no brief to set an abrupt cut-off date that would result in the exclusion of soy producers, without giving them an opportunity to redirect their production growth into areas that are already consolidated and voluntarily opt for conservation.

The Cerrado Conservation Mechanism, proposed by ABIOVE, with the goal of compensating soy producers for not deforesting their land, was supported by only three of the 159 signatories of SoS Cerrado.

The expansion of soy produced in the Cerrado is monitored and controlled by ABIOVE and its members.  The report published in 2020 shows that the deforestation footprint of soy expansion in the Cerrado is falling and is currently at a very low level. Of the soy expansion recorded from the 2013/14 crop year to the 2018/19, a total of five million hectares, just 7% was on deforested land.

Individually, ABIOVE's members have systems to control origination, farm by farm, and to monitor volumes originated in municipalities where there was deforestation. The companies also certify the soy acquired and have strict sourcing policies to guarantee that soy production is in compliance with Brazilian environmental and labour legislation.

FSB Comunicação
e-mail: abiove@fsb.com.br
website: www.abiove.org.br