The International Round Table for Responsible Soy (RTRS) agreed that valuable nature river areas need to be protected. This means that no new soy plantations are allowed to establish there.
This is written in the "Principles and Criteria for Responsible Soy", a set of rules that the RTRS had been working on for the last 18 months.
The document states among others:
Expansion for soy cultivation during field test period may not take place on land cleared of native habitat after May 2009. Exception: Producers who want or plan to clear native habitat after the cut-off date of May 2009 must produce scientific evidence from a comprehensive and professional third-party assessment of the area concerned that identifies the absence of:
• all primary forest
• other High Conservation Value Areas (HCVAs)
• local peoples’ lands
About the RTRS
Created in Switzerland in 2006, the RTRS is a global initiative bringing together producers, industry, finance and trade representatives, government organizations and civil society entities that are concerned about the impact of soy on the economy.