Dear Minister

As someone who is concerned about the impacts of the UK's soy imports, I am pleased to hear of DEFRA's commitment to taking action on soy and factory farming. I welcome the commitment made at the Sustainable Livestock Symposium. So I'm disappointed that 3 months after promising to take action on these important issues you've already missed 2 opportunities to demonstrate a real commitment to more sustainable livestock farming. 1. When you recently announced new standards for public sector food you failed to include standards to reduce soy-fed meat and dairy and increase the proportion reared on pasture and home-grown protein feeds. The vast amount of taxpayers' money that is spent on food - around £2.2 billion every year - could be used to kick-start a market for planet-friendly food and promote healthier diets with less meat and dairy. This will work best if the rules are extended to schools and hospitals and include tough standards on less and better meat and dairy. 2. Although it is to be welcomed that the Government's new Natural Environment White Paper acknowledges the negative impacts of soy on tropical forests and biodiversity it makes no firm commitment to take action to reduce those impacts instead relying on voluntary action from business through their own supply chains. And despite commitments to show 'environmental leadership' internationally and within Europe, the NEWP also fails to set out a position on CAP reform that would help to reduce our overseas impacts for example by encouraging home grown proteins for animal feeds. I hope that over the next 9 months - before the one year report is published we'll see some firm action from Government on; -The upcoming reform of European Common Agricultural Policy to support socially sustainable farming. -The independent supermarket ombudsman to deal with low prices paid by supermarkets to farmers. -More research into home grown alternatives to imported soy for animal feed

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