Soy
Farmer support
14.01.2021
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Aller Aqua phase out the use of South American soy and focus on purchasing from regional markets

Aller aqua will purchase soy for its aqua feeds closer to its factories, and as a result the company’s four european factories will exclusively purchase regionally produced soy

Sustainability in the aquaculture value chain begins with the raw materials used in the feed. Raw materials form the foundation for fish growth and health, and therefore ultimately for the fish farmers success. Aller Aqua wants customers to have high quality feeds with stable performance, but also with minimal environmental impact.

”In recent years there has been focus on soy produced in South America, and the derived effects thereof, such as deforestation and cultivation methods. In our work to continuously increase sustainability and purchasing raw materials in proximity to our European factories, we will now phase out the use of soy from South America.

Our four European factories have already begun this process. In 2019, 50% of the soy we used in our European factories was regionally produced, and during 2020 this number will reach 100%. This is completely in line with EU initiatives supporting increased production of protein-crops to increase our self-sufficiency – and thereby reduce import.

We work actively with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in all of our factories. Raw materials are a significant part of the production process in aquafeeds, and it is, therefore, natural to focus on reducing environmental impact here!
 
To ensure the largest possible positive impact on our environmental footprint we continuously look at our raw material portfolio. During recent years we have increasingly utilised various by-products, which, besides reducing waste, maintain the feed quality. We also pride ourselves in having a specialised protein factory in Germany, which produces high-value proteins based on local raw materials.

Additionally, it is positive that aquaculture has one of the lowest CO2 emissions compared to other animal products.” Explains Henrik Halken, Group Vice President, Aller Aqua Group.