Bayer CropScience and RTRS collaborate to promote certification of soy in Brazil

Bayer CropScience and the civil organization Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) are uniting to help soy producers certify their crops according to RTRS standards. A non-exclusive agreement between Bayer CropScience and RTRS aims to facilitate the certification of soy production according to the RTRS standard, by stimulating use of Bayer’s Valore program. RTRS Certification assures that soy, either as a raw material or as a by-product, originated from a process that is environmentally correct, socially adequate and economically viable.

Bayer’s Valore program offers soy producers a diagnosis visit, an action plan, training, a pre-audit visit, and facilitation of third-party auditing, measures which will help soy producers reach the required certification levels. Additionally, Bayer CropScience will offer its RTRS-certified customers special commercial conditions. The cooperation is focused on Brazil and may be extended to soy producers in other countries in Latin America in a next future stage.

“Soybeans are a crop with great strategic importance for the region and for Bayer CropScience. We want to contribute to an enhanced and improved production, and certification is one important tool to this end. We encourage farmers to follow sustainability standards like RTRS which will make their business more sustainable and also more profitable in the long run,” said Eduardo Estrada, Head of Bayer CropScience Latin America.

“Bayer CropScience’s Valore program is a crucial contribution to help farmers implement sustainable practices through RTRS certification,” said Agustín Mascotena, Executive Director of RTRS. “At the same time, by valuing the certification of crops, the company demonstrates that it understands the real value of more sustainable customers in the medium and long term. Bayer CropScience is clearly investing in more sustainable agriculture in the broadest sense. These important and concrete actions demonstrate Bayer CropScience’s commitment to responsible production and to the RTRS, of which it is a member. We hope to see other stakeholders follow the example of Bayer CropScience and join the collective effort towards a more evolved agriculture.”

Bayer CropScience and RTRS will also synergize their efforts to connect certified farmers with traders and food companies in order to promote the trade of responsible soy. The aim is to increase the knowledge and marketing skills of certified producers and, in the future, to allow differentiation of soy quality aspects.