The relationship between soy, cattle feed and meat

Demand in cattle feed is rising on the back of the world-wide increase in meat consumption. Soy is one of the major ingredients of cattle feed. This results in several problems.

When it comes to soy, 85% of the total EU import comes from large-scale plantations in South America, where an area the size of the Netherlands is deforested almost annually to make room for soy plantations. Consequently, the Amazon forest as well as the forest savannah (Cerrado) and the largest wetland in South America (Pantanal) are disappearing. The intensive production of soy beans on millions of hectares has many adverse consequences on nature, such as deforestation, erosion or loss in biodiversity. Furthermore, it effects the climate (deforestation leads to a decrease in rainfall) and people (modern slavery or forced land expropriation).

The Netherlands
The Netherlands is the largest soy importer in the European Union (30% of EU imports of soy beans, 20% of soy flour) and the second-largest in the world. Crushing the beans takes place in the soy growing countries themselves, but there are also crushing plants in the major ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

Soy in consumption products
The oil is used in approximately 70% of our daily groceries, such as cookies, soap, detergents, bread and deodorant. The cake remaining after the crushing process, is processed into cattle feed for its high protein content and in this way it ends up in animals products – the steak on the consumer’s plate, for instance. The production of 1 kilo of meat requires about 7 kilos of soy.

What you can do?
The message is not that everybody should stop eating meat. Eating less meat, however, would be a step in the right direction. The average daily meat consumption hugely exceeds the amount needed to remain healthy. A good alternative is meat substitute, although often not based on responsible soy. Several producers are already producing responsible soy, but this is only a fraction of the total market and this soy is only available on a small scale.

What should the industry and government do?
IUCN NL asks the Dutch actors in the Soy-chain to use their influence and market-power in making the chain more sustainable and when purchasing soy-products to pay attention to the ecological and social conditions in the production process. The government needs to take its responsibility in the area of policy at the national, EU and global level (WTO).

What does IUCN NL do?
IUCN NL aims at achieving responsible soy production. IUCN NL consults with companies involved on sustainable production methods and with the Dutch government on laws and regulations. IUCN NL and nine other NGOs constitute the Dutch Soy Coalition. IUCN NL discusses possibilities of responsible production with the Taskforce Sustainable Soy and individual companies. Additionally, there is an international platform, the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS), a project supported by IUCN NL. Producers, processors and NGOs participate worldwide in the RTRS.

• Roundtable on Responsible Soy
• Dutch Soy Coalition
• Taskforce Sustainable Soy