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EU consumption of soy and deforestation

3 Mai 2017

EU consumption of soy and deforestation

Soy is the second largest agricultural driver of deforestation after cattle products (with agriculture responsible for about 70 per cent of all deforestation).  According to a 2013 study for the European Commission, soy expansion was responsible for nearly half of the deforestation embodied in products imported into the European Union between 1990 and 2008.

EU farm policies have played a role in encouraging soy imports. Early versions of the Common Agricultural Policy incentivized EU farmers to produce meat and cereals rather than protein crops such as soy.

The EU has made a commitment to end its role in deforestation by 2020. This will remain an impossible goal while policies and practices encourage demand for soy, with little concern about the deforestation or human rights violations generated by its production. 

Fern is calling for an EU Action Plan to ensure imports of forest-risk commodities are legally sourced and ecologically viable.

This is the second in a series of background notes on agricultural commodities.

To read a report on the EU Common Agricultural Policy, soy and deforestation click here

Briefing notes in this series:

    Palm oil briefing paper
    Cocoa factsheet
    Beef factsheet
    Rubber factsheet

    References for the findings in this briefing note:

    1. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/pdf/1.%20Report%20analysis%20 of%20impact.pdf
    2. https://www.fern.org/stolengoods
    3. https://www.chathamhouse.org/publication/agricultural-commodity-supply-chains-trade-consumption-and-deforestation
    4. Consumer Goods and Deforestation – An Analysis of the Extent and Nature of Illegality in Forest Conversion for Agriculture and Timber Plantations, 2014: www. forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_4718.pdf
    5. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/pdf/1.%20Report%20analysis%20of%20impact.pdf
    6. https://www.chathamhouse.org/publication/agricultural-commodity-supply-chains-trade-consumption-and-deforestation 
    7. https://www.chathamhouse.org/publication/agricultural-commodity-supply-chains-trade-consumption-and-deforestation
    8. Soy Barometer 2014, Research conducted by Profundo for the Dutch Soy Coalition: www.profundo.nl/files/download/Sojacoalitie1410a.pdf
    9. http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/esa/Global_persepctives/world_ag_2030_50_2012_rev.pdf
    10. Soy Barometer 2014, Research conducted by Profundo for the Dutch Soy Coalition: www.profundo.nl/files/download/Sojacoalitie1410a.pdf
    11. ABIOVE. Soja Plus. Program of Economic Management, Social and Environmental Responsibility of the Brazilian Soy 
    12. Illegal Deforestation Monitor – Soy Profile: http://www.bad-ag.info/commodities/soy/
    13. http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/6/2/024010/metahttp://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/agriculture/soy/impacts/
    14. http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/agriculture/soy/impacts/
    15. http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/agriculture/soy/impacts/
    16. Soy Barometer 2014, Research conducted by Profundo for the Dutch Soy Coalition: www.profundo.nl/files/download/Sojacoalitie1410a.pdf
    17. http://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/guarani
    18. https://news.mongabay.com/2016/10/violence-against-indigenous-people-high-as-land-conflicts-heat-up/
    19. Soy Barometer 2014, Research conducted by Profundo for the Dutch Soy Coalition: www.profundo.nl/files/download/Sojacoalitie1410a.pdf
    20. Soy Barometer 2014, Research conducted by Profundo for the Dutch Soy Coalition: www.profundo.nl/files/download/Sojacoalitie1410a.pdf
    21. https://cofcointernational.com/about-cofco-international/
    22. https://www.fern.org/stolengoods
    23. Company Promises: How Businesses are Meeting Commitments to End Deforestation; Fern; March 2017: https://www.fern.org/sites/fern.org/files/Company%20promises.pdf
    24. http://www.responsiblesoy.org/?lang=en
    25. Company Promises: How Businesses are Meeting Commitments to End Deforestation; Fern; March 2017: https://www.fern.org/sites/fern.org/files/Company%20promises.pdf
    26. The EU Common Agricultural Policy, Feedstocks and Deforestation, Fern, May 201
    27. https://nelson.wisc.edu/sage/docs/publications/GibbsetalScience2015.pdf
    28. The EU Common Agricultural Policy, Feedstocks and Deforestation, Fern, May 2017
    29. The EU Common Agricultural Policy, Feedstocks and Deforestation, Fern, May 2017
    30. Figures obtained by the NGO Transport & Environment from FEDIOL, the EU vegetable oil and protein meal industry association
    31. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-energy-biofuels-idUSKBN13H1EA
    32. New York Declaration on Forests
    33. UN Sustainable Development Goals
    34. Fern: Enforcing a Due Dilligence Based Regulation for Forest Risk Commodities
    35. Fern: Sustainable Supply Chains

    Kategorien: Briefing Notes, Meat consumption, Brazil

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