Nutreco commits to ending deforestation

The ‘Funding for Soy Farmers in the Cerrado’ initiative aims to conserve native vegetation and biodiversity in the Cerrado region, halting deforestation by providing financial incentives to farmers to produce soy only on existing agricultural land.

The Cerrado region is a globally significant carbon stock but 250 million tonnes of carbon have been released annually from deforestation in this landscape – equivalent to the emissions of 53 million cars.

This initiative is a new breed of conservation protection…,: – Nutreco CEO Rob Koremans

The Cerrado is also one of the most important Brazilian regions for water production, being responsible for 40% of Brazil’s freshwater that is essential for agriculture.

€1 million commitment

Nutreco has pledged to commit €1 million to the fund over the coming 5 years. Supermarket Tesco and Grieg Seafood have also pledged support for the project.

Also read: European soy has its limitations

Nutreco CEO Rob Koremans said: “This initiative is a new breed of conservation protection, which recognises responsible action by landowners interested in tackling climate-related issues especially in environmentally critical environments and biomes.

Soy is a key ingredient in global animal and aquaculture feed production and I hope that other companies, particularly within the feed industry, will come forward and commit to this initiative over the coming months.”