Message to agricultural commodity traders at COP27
Published 7 November 2022
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Last year the governments of the United States and United Kingdom convened this group of 12 of the world’s largest global agricultural commodity traders to tackle global forest loss and ecosystem conversion. Since that first meeting, which resulted in the Agricultural Commodity Companies Statement of Purpose at COP26, 2 additional companies have joined.
The companies took a bold step by agreeing to work together across commodities and geographies to deliver a collective Roadmap to align the sector with a 1.5-degree Celsius future here at COP27, and they have delivered some notable progress. They have:
- accelerated their timelines to eliminate forest loss from their supply chains
- committed to greater transparency in reporting on their commitments and emissions
- developed clear ways to address forest loss that put farmers and ranchers at the heart of solutions
But this is an urgent agenda. Forests and other ecosystems continue to be destroyed and degraded by agricultural expansion, and the Amazon is being pushed closer to critical tipping points, putting our collective climate goals at risk.
Therefore, greater ambition and accelerated action is needed. It is critical that the soy and cattle sectors pursue a clear commitment to assessing conversion risk and taking ambitious action to address that risk, including establishing a cut-off date in line with science. These companies should discourage additional land clearing by establishing clear policies, practices, and monitoring protocols, and prioritising production on planted grasslands, improved pastures, other agricultural land, and other types of degraded land;
As part of this process, the companies have made asks of us and other governments, and we acknowledge the role that we will play in the transition to supply chains free from forest loss and conversion. We look forward to continuing our engagement in this process towards a agri-commodity sector aligned with a 1.5 degree future that delivers sustainable livelihoods for farmers and ranchers that are the heart of global food systems.
We commend these companies for coming together to undertake this important work, and we strongly encourage them to keep going, as there is more to be done.
Graham Stuart, Minister for Climate
&
John Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate