Argentina concludes tests and ships deforestation-free soy meal to Europe
Pilot shipments comply with the VISEC platform's sustainability protocol to monitor and track grain from field to port.
Three shipments of soy meal with georeferenced certification from Argentina have arrived in European ports in the past three months. The pilot shipments are a milestone in negotiations led by the Argentine Edible Oil Association (CIARA) and the Grain Exporters Center (CEC) to bring the country's agricultural production into line with standards set by the European Union's new environmental legislation, which will come into force on December 30, 2024. They come before the official launch of the VISEC data platform, which will monitor and verify all of Argentina's soy trade. This tool consolidates sustainability parameters and requirements, as one of four projects supported by the Land Innovation Fund in the Gran Chaco biome that reaffirm the institution's commitment to innovative solutions for major challenges on today's environmental and agricultural agendas.
The pilot shipments carried soy meal from areas free of deforestation since December 2020, as required by EU Regulation 2023/1115, and all the grain was geo-located and identified throughout the supply chain, from the field to the port, following the ViSeC protocol. A total of more than 46,000 tons of soy meal supplied by Bunge, Viterra, and LDC were shipped to ports in Spain and Ireland, from more than 570 farms in Argentina.
The tests allowed CIARA-CEC to fine-tune the VISEC system and prepare for the launch of its traceability and monitoring platform, the first modules of which will be ready for use as of April 2024. "We want to continue expanding the sustainability protocol, with adjustments to the platform and greater participation by farmers and the georeferenced area in future shipments," says Gustavo Idigoras.
The VISEC platform connects multiple links in the soy supply chain into a common forum with a shared objective: environmentally responsible and economically feasible agricultural production. "CIARA-CEC's unprecedented initiative is undeniably crucial for aligning grain production parameters with international environmental and climate agendas," says Ashley Valle, director of the Land Innovation Fund. "The VISEC platform’s nationwide reach will have a global impact on traceability practices for the soy supply chain," she adds.
The shipments are a milestone in terms of sustainability and commitments by some of the country's leading economic players. "It is a major challenge for all of Argentina's value chains. VISEC's monitoring, reporting and verification system does require additional costs and adaptations, as well as cultural changes that will naturally be reflected in the price of the final product. Even so, we are committed to positioning ourselves as providers of deforestation-free products, with traceable origins guaranteed," adds Gustavo Idígoras.
VISEC is a national platform promoted by CIARA/CEC, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, Peterson Consultancy and the Tropical Forest Alliance, with a monitoring, reporting and verification system administered by the Rosario Board of Trade and financial support from the Land Innovation Fund and Al Invest Verde. As the fruit of integrated efforts by agricultural growers and associations, processors, exporters, civil society organizations, input and service providers, government and private sector entities, academic organizations and research institutions, this multi-sector initiative seeks an integrated solution to reduce, monitor and eliminate negative environmental and social impacts by the soy supply chain, with a focus on zero deforestation and other forms of land use change in priority areas for environmental conservation, such as the Gran Chaco.