ST. LOUIS (Jan. 15, 2015) – The U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) has announced that soy exports certified through the U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol (SSAP) have hit a record two million metric tons in the 2015/16 marketing year.
USSEC Chair Laura Foell, an Iowa farmer, stated, “This is an exciting milestone for the U.S. Soy industry. It’s important to our end users to know where their soybeans are coming from and that they were raised in a healthy, sustainable manner. We’re very happy that the SSAP allows us to show them that.”
The SSAP was developed by USSEC in conjunction with other members of the U.S. Soy family including the American Soybean Association (ASA), United Soybean Board (USB), and Qualified State Soybean Boards (QSSBs), along with industry partners North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA) and National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA). This multi-year process involved numerous revisions as input and suggestions were received from U.S. Soy customers and other stakeholders around the world.
The SSAP allows U.S. exporters to efficiently and cost-effectively communicate the sustainability of U.S. Soy and provide assurance to buyers worldwide with a simple certification tool. Soy Export Sustainability, LLC, provides certificates to exporters based on an aggregate system representing nationwide soybean production.
The SSAP reiterates the U.S. Soy industry’s commitment to providing customers with superior service after the sale, a supply system second to none, and continued access to cutting edge soy products. The SSAP’s official sustainability certification for U.S. Soy provides exporters with verification that the soy products they sell on the world market are raised in a sustainable manner, by providing proof of reductions in energy use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and soil erosion of soybeans produced in the United States.
In 2015, the U.S. Soy industry concurred upon a national strategy for further enhancing U.S. soybean sustainability through the improvement of key performance indicators in environmental, economic and social sectors. In the next decade, U.S. soybean farmers aim to reduce land use impact by 10 percent; reduce soil erosion an additional 25 percent; increase energy use efficiency by 10 percent; and reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent.
About the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC)USSEC aims to maximize the use of U.S. Soy internationally by meeting the needs of global customers that use U.S. Soy in human food and feed for poultry, livestock and fish. The organization uses a global network of stakeholder partnerships, including soybean farmers, exporters, agribusinesses, agricultural organizations, researchers and government agencies, to accomplish that mission.
About the United Soybean Board (USB)
The 70 farmer-directors of USB oversee the investments of the soy checkoff to maximize profit opportunities for all U.S. soybean farmers. These volunteers invest and leverage checkoff funds to increase the value of U.S. soy meal and oil, to ensure U.S. soybean farmers and their customers have the freedom and infrastructure to operate, and to meet the needs of U.S. soy’s customers. As stipulated in the federal Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soy checkoff.
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