Sportsman is supporting the sustainable production of soya, and for the last five seasons we have paid a premium for all soya included in our feed rations to encourage soya producers to continue to grow sustainably. All the certification schemes that Sportsman use specify zero deforestation. This means the soya has not been grown in areas that have been converted from forest or other valuable native habitats since agreed cut-off dates.
The Federation of European Feed Compounders (FEFAC) provides guidance on what makes a good certification scheme for sustainably produced soya by setting a minimum benchmark. These schemes are called responsible sourcing schemes. In order to be certified, soya growers must meet required standards for protecting the environment, human and social responsibilities, community relations, good agricultural practice and compliance to local laws and land rights. Regular audits of the farms ensure compliance to the standards. Examples of responsible sourcing schemes used by Sportsman are RTRS (Round Table for Responsible Soya), CRS (Cefetra Responsible Soya) and Cargill Triple S.
Sportsman is part of the AB Agri group and our AB Agri representatives have played an active role in developing the FEFAC benchmarking system for assessing these standards through participation in the FEFAC sustainability committee. AB Agri also participates in the government-backed UK Round Table on Sustainable Soya. The UK Round Table has representatives from throughout the UK supply chain and is focused on working together to eliminate deforestation from our supply chains.
Hugh Burton
Senior Raw Material Manager