The members of the International Oilseed Producers' Dialogue (IOPD) held their XXV meeting on August 9, 2023, in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. Compared to the XXIV meeting, where global challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine were on the agenda, the main topics of discussion at the XXV meeting were framed around global challenges related to food, feed and biofuel production and climate change.
At the international level, food-producing countries are faced with the need to contribute to the growing demand for food and, at the same time, mitigate the negative impacts of this activity on the environment. In this sense, the dissemination of sustainable production systems with the capacity to address global challenges and world food trade are key aspects to be analyzed.
Given the global nature of the challenges, they cannot be addressed unilaterally. Solutions must be coordinated, incorporate a holistic approach to sustainability and be adapted to local realities and needs. Any regulations must be based on science and be reachable.
IOPD members have an ethical commitment to meet the most basic demands of humanity, taking care of the environment and providing food. Vegetable oils and protein meals provide a nutrient-dense food source for humans and animals and are a readily available, renewable, climate-smart energy alternatives to fossil fuels. Food, feed, and fuel products are complements, not competitors, and crop-based bioenergy will play an important role in decarbonizing the energy sector. IOPD members are committed to growing sustainable crops in harmony with the environment and our communities and being part of the solution to global food and energy insecurities, all while ensuring that family farms remain economically viable for current and future generations.
To maximize our contributions and to ensure producers remain resilient to the complex, multi-faceted challenges facing our food systems today, IOPD members call on our governments to advance the following policies as the foundation of both national and international programs to ensure food security and sustainability:
- Science and innovation play a central role in meeting global food and energy security needs. Science has long been agriculture's guiding post, and decisions must be based on sound science. Regulatory environments and policies must encourage innovation and ensure producers access to a full suite of tools including new seed development technologies such as gene editing and biotechnology, crop protection products, soil nutrients and precision agriculture. The availability of new tools and technologies enables producers to withstand the pressures threatening crop yield, remain resilient in the face of climate change, and meet production demands in response to global food and fuel availability crises. Our producers have a long and shared history as early adopters of new knowledge, technology, equipment, and best management practices to ensure the adaptability and viability of their farms. Furthermore, regulatory frameworks that facilitate innovation have benefits for the world's producers and consumers alike.
- Comprehensive trade liberalization is required to meet global food and renewable energy demand. IOPD members recognize the importance of open borders to the flow of food and energy supplies globally and its critical role in the global economy. Further trade liberalization is needed and includes a renewed WTO programme on agriculture, an enhanced Codex Alimentarius and a commitment to risk proportionate science-based sanitary and phytosanitary measures including aligned maximum residue limits (MRLs) and timely approvals of modern plant breeding technologies such as gene editing and biotechnology. It is crucial that any solution takes into account the different regulatory frameworks between areas of production and consumption, particularly between Europe and its trading partners.
- Input availability is a serious threat to food production. The availability of fuel, fertilizer and other inputs has been volatile, and farmers have struggled to secure supplies of goods essential to their operations. In addition, non-science-based proposals that seek to artificially limit or cap fertilizer or pesticide use in certain production regions threaten farmer's economic viability and directly impact the availability of food supplies for the world's consumers. Governments should work together to facilitate the flow of crop inputs and their raw materials to ensure farmers have the right tools available to maintain production and combat food insecurity. Furthermore, arbitrary and politically motivated efforts to manage or cap fertilizer or pesticide use should be rejected in favour of outcome rather than practice-based approaches. Governments should reaffirm their international commitments to policies that are supported by robust scientific evidence and are not trade-distorting.
- No one solution will address climate or production challenges. Our producers are long-standing stewards of their land. They rely on it for their families' livelihood and have made significant contributions to sustainability over the years by sequestering carbon in their soils, preserving biodiversity by maintaining natural vegetation and habitats, incorporating crop rotations and no-till farming systems, and adopting best management practices to optimize water, energy, pesticide, and fertilizer use. Because farming practices and types vary by geography and context, no one solution will address climate or production challenges. But, our producers share the common goal of meeting evolving and growing demand for food, being recognized as solution providers in the fight against climate change, and ensuring more sustainable production systems and continual advancements in agriculture. Any regulations made by governments and international organizations to fight against climate change must be reasonable, reachable and based on science. Measures should not have consequences that limit production or generate price increases for consumers, endangering food security.
IOPD Members:
- American Soybean Association (ASA) – United States
- Asociación Argentina de Productores en Siembra Directa (Aapresid) – Argentina
- Asociación de Productores de Soja, Oleaginosas y Cereales (APS) – Paraguay
- Associação dos Produtores de Soja e Milho (Aprosoja) – Brasil
- Associação dos Produtores de Soja e Milho de Mato Grosso (Aprosoja Mato Grosso) – Brasil
- Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF) – Australia
- Cámara Paraguaya de Exportadores y Comercializadores de Cereales y Oleaginosas (CAPECO) - Paraguay
- Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) – Canada
- Fédération française des producteurs d'oléagineux et de protéagineux (FOP) – France
- Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) – Canada
- Mesa Tecnológica de Oleaginosos (MTO) – Uruguay
- U.S. Canola Association – United States
- United Soybean Board – United States
- Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen (UFOP) – Germany
- U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) – United States