Written question asked by Kerry McCarthy (Labour) on Monday, 3 June 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 5 June 2019. It was answered by Baroness Coffey (Conservative) on Tuesday, 11 June 2019 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Soya Beans: Imports

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to (a) monitor and (b) prevent the (i) direct and (ii) indirect import of deforestation soy.

Answer: The Government established an industry-led Roundtable on Sustainable Soya to help industry act on a shared goal of reaching resilient, secure and conversion-free soy supply by 2020. The Roundtable has published a baseline report from which to monitor the progress of Roundtable members in tracking the direct and indirect imports of deforestation soy. With the support of the Roundtable, eight of the largest UK supermarkets representing a combined retail market share of 83% have published new sourcing policies to deliver sustainable soya to the UK market. The Roundtable is also working with other national initiatives to share lessons and information on soya imports (direct and indirect) to support a mass market move to sustainable soya.

Secondary information