More sustainably produced soy in animal feed
Level: Core
The cultivation of soy can entail large environmental risks due to the high use of pesticides, soil erosion, along with the risk for land use change and deforestation in species-rich forest and grassland areas. Contracting organisations can specify requirements that improve the prerequisites for a transition to a more sustainable production of soy.
Details
- Type:
- Technical specification
- ID:
- 11113:1
- Group:
- Free-range systems indoors
Criterion text
Animal-based foods shall come from animals where the soy1, if included in the feed, is produced in such a way that, at a minimum, it covers the following:
- Implemented routines that ensure that the conversion to agricultural land does not result in deforestation or damage to areas of high conservation value. The evaluation of what is regarded as high conservation value can be undertaken in agreement with the High Conservation Value Approach2, or a similar evaluation method relevant for the geographical area.
- The use of plant protection products shall be in accordance with the principles for Integrated Pest Management (IPM3). This involves preventing plant protection problems, monitoring the risk of damage in cultivations/fields, need-based measures, as well as following up and evaluating the effectiveness of pest control measures.
It is adequate that the documentation of the traceability of the soy can be shown through a segregated supply chain (Identity Preserved or Segregated), or through the principle of mass balance, or through the principle for credits (Credits/Book and Claim).
1. Soy in feed refers to soy bean meal, whether or not ground or in the form of pellets.
2. High Conservation Value Approach, hcvnetwork.org/hcv-approach
3. IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Integrated Pest Management concerns a sustainable use of plant protection products. By combining different types of measures, weeds, fungal diseases and pests in the cultivation can be prevented or suppressed. Plant protection measures in your cultivation - Jordbruksverket.se (in Swedish)
Verification
Upon request, the supplier shall be ready to present one of the following, for example:
- Valid licence/certificate for a label/certification that covers the requirement, for example;
- RTRS (Round table on Sustainable Soy) principles Identity Preserved, Segregated, Mass Balance or Credits/Book and Claim. If the principle Credits/Book and Claim is applied, then a certificate issued by RTRS can be shown demonstrating that the proportion of soybean meal used in the product is covered by an equivalent amount of RTRS-credits. Read more about RTRS-credits
- ProTerra (Identity Preserved, Segregated)
- Donau Soy/Europe Soy (Identity Preserved, Segregated)
- Documentation showing that the soy-based animal feed originates from a traceable cultivation area where production is judged to meet the criteria in the requirement and where the assessment has been verified by an independent third-party. For example, through the Swedish Platform on Risk Commodities criteria and process for non-certified risk commodities (Segregated, Identity Preserved).
- The supplier's self-declaration including technical documentation of requirement compliance that has been verified by an accredited verification body, accredited for the task according to ISO/IEC 17029 or an equivalent standard.
Proposed follow-up
This requirement can be followed up during the contract period by, for example, spot checks of the product(s) subject to the requirements undertaken on one or more occasions.
Certification
If the requirement has been verified by means of a certification, then the supplier can show that the product(s) comply with the requirements by providing their own evidence or evidence from a subcontractor/feed supplier with, for example:
- Valid licence/certificate for a label/certification that covers the requirement, for example;
- RTRS (Round table on Sustainable Soy) principles Identity Preserved, Segregated, Mass Balance or Credits/Book and Claim. If the principle Credits/Book and Claim is applied, then a certificate issued by RTRS can be shown demonstrating that the proportion of soybean meal used in the product is covered by an equivalent amount of RTRS-credits. Read more about RTRS-credits
- ProTerra (Identity Preserved, Segregated)
- Donau Soy/Europe Soy (Identity Preserved, Segregated)
- Documentation showing that the soybean meal originates from a traceable cultivation where production is judged to meet the criteria in the requirement and where the assessment has been verified by an independent third-party. For example, through the Swedish Platform on Risk Commodities criteria and process for non-certified risk commodities (Segregated, Identity Preserved).
Self-declaration verified by an accredited verification body
If a self-declaration verified by an accredited verification body is used as evidence for the requirement, ensure that it is verified by a verification body, accredited for the task according to ISO/IEC 17029 or an equivalent standard.
Make use of specialist expertise in your organisation when following up the summitted evidence of compliance. This could, for example, be an environmental or sustainability strategist with extensive expertise within questions related to sustainability.
Information about the criterion
The requirement covers conventional food products with animal-based content of chicken, turkey, egg, pork, beef, sheep meat, and milk. For composite products with a total animal-based content of less than 50%, market availability may vary within different product groups. Follow-up can also require significant resources, for both the purchaser and the supplier. Evaluate the availability by conducting a market analysis.
Market analysis (swedish)
The supplier can decide to meet the requirement through tangibly traceable soy, mass balance, through the purchase of credits, or a combination of these. Credits are available, for example, in the RTRS certification system. One RTRS-credit is equivalent to one tonne of certified soy. Organisations that are willing to support a responsible production of soy and/or to balance the effects of the soy used in their products, can acquire RTRS-credits. The system of credit trading has been important in order to accelerate and increase the conditions for a transition towards more sustainable soy production methods. Credits can also be a necessary supplement when segregated flows of soy-based animal feed cannot be ensured.
Read more about RTRS-credits
Organic production
Within organic production, as large a proportion as possible of the animal feed should come from the farm itself. If soy is used in the feed, it is organically certified, grown without the use of chemical fertilisers or plant protection products, and is traceable within the value chain in the same way as other organic products. Organic soy is primarily grown in areas with a low risk for deforestation.
According to regulations from IFOAM and KRAV, there are specific requirements that soy shall not be grown on land that has previously had a high conservation value and has been converted to agricultural land during the last five years.
If the goal is to procure organic products, organic soy-based animal feed can be an additional value obtained as a result of the process. The National Agency for Public Procurement has sustainability criteria for organic products at the core level and advanced level, and they are available within each product group in our criteria service.
Criteria service
Environmental goals
Motive
Soy is a nutrient-rich crop with a high content of protein, fat and amino acids. This is why soy is often included in feed for chickens, laying hens and pigs, and to a certain degree beef cattle, sheep and dairy cattle. Soybean meal is the single largest soy-product in animal feed and therefore the focus of the criterium.
Demand for soy-based animal feed continues to grow in response to the increased global consumption of meat and animal-based products . Large sensitive natural areas such the Amazon and the Cerrado have already been cleared to make way for soy-cultivation. This has a negative impact on climate, biodiversity, and the living environment for the local communities.
By setting sustainability requirements for the soy-based animal feed that is used during the production of animal-based products, public purchasers can, together with suppliers and producers, contribute to improving the conditions for a more responsible development of the soy-industry.
In Sweden, there is the Swedish Platform on Risk Commodities that was launched in April 2022. The platform is coordinated by ETI Sverige (Ethical Trading Initiative) and the members of the platform commit to requiring, verified more sustainable soy and palm oil through, for example certification. Similar initiatives exist in other countries.
The Swedish Platform on Risk Commodities
New Regulation on deforestation-free products
In December 2022, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU agreed upon a new regulation on deforestation-free products (EU) 2023/1115. The regulation covers inter alia soy, palm oil, cocoa and other risk-crops connected to deforestation. It is still not completely clear what consequences the deforestation regulation will have on different parties on the market. The regulation will be applied from the 30 December 2024.
Read more about the regulation on deforestation-free products
Versions history
The version date indicates when the sustainability criterion was created or last updated. Last reviewed dated tells when we last checked that the sustainability criterion still is relevant.
- Current ID
- 11113:1
- Version date
- 2023-06-29
2023-06-29: 11113:1 New version number. Adjusted requirement name. Adjusted requirement level from advanced level to basic level. Updated requirement text and fair working conditions have been deleted as it should not appear in the technical specification. Revised definition of soy. Added the The Swedish Platform on Risk Commodities criteria and process for non-certified risk crops as a proposal for evidence. Added proposal for follow-up. Updated argument and application.