(ir)responsible soy

Wednesday April 23, 2008, Buenos Aires:During a plenary session of the 3rd conference of the Round Table on Responsible Soy, a group of representatives of organisations signing the declaration denouncing the RTRS, made an intervention expressing their rejection of the greenwash caused by the RTRS. "Responsible soy is an unresolvable contradiction and in no way a viable option".

The Round Table on Responsible Soy is seeking to legitimise irresponsible, socially and environmentally damaging soy production, according to a new report published today (Tuesday 22 April) ahead of the Round Table on Responsible Soy’s third conference in Buenos Aires.

Article by Reto Sonderegger in German in Swiss newspaper, critising RTRS. PDF in attachment.

Protest at RTRS2 in ParaguayOver 200 organisations from North and South condemn Roundtable for Responsible Soy as 'corporate greenwash'. (See below for full list.)

Argentinian organisation GRR (Grupo de Reflexion Rural) responds to the responsible soy proposal and to the round tables held by agri-business and their collaborators.
This in reference to the next Round Table on 'responsible' soy held on the 23rd and 24th of April, 2008 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The conference's theme is "responsible soy: food, feed and fuel for a future world *

On Monday october 15th, 2007, in Wageningen (The Netherlands), a conference is being held on "Sustainable Agriculture in Brazil. Responsable soy for food, feed and fuel" On this conference the Brazilian soy lobby, Brazilian minister of agriculture and researchers will talk about strategies to develop and 'realise'sustainable soy production. Various organisations however think that the emphasis should be to stop the expansion of soy production and consumption.

How large environmental NGOs oil the wheels of the international agri- and forestry business.
by Reto Sonderegger: Probably there is no child in Switzerland who doesn't know the cuddly panda, the image and logo of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Many even donate part of their pocket money for the conservation of tigers and elephants; for projects meant to protect their natural habitat. Yet hardly anybody is aware that the WWF is organizing ‘round tables’ with those who, fueled by mass consumption in the North, bear the main responsibility for the gigantic network of destruction. Let us therefore take a critical look at the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil and at the Roundtable for Responsible Soy, and also at the timber label FSC – the Forest Stewardship Council.

Taking into account the deplorable human rights and socio-economic situation in Paraguay, the choice for this country to organise a Round Table conference on "responsible" soy was a bit of a strange one. The second RTRS conference inspired a united resistance among small farmers organisations, unions and NGOs in Paraguay.
read declaration below