Mowi will become the first company in the world sourcing Brazilian soy for its feed production from suppliers committed to 100 percent deforestation-free, as of the third quarter of 2021.

All suppliers to the world's largest publicly-listed salmon farmer will commit to trading only deforestation-free soybeans, and will no longer even sell soy grown on legally deforested land.

The move makes Mowi the first company worldwide that will use only clean, deforestation-free suppliers of Brazilian soy.

"This is a game-changer for the soy and feed industry supplying aquaculture," said Catarina Martins, chief sustainability officer at Mowi.

Mowi previously said all the soy it sources from Brazil is ProTerra certified, guaranteeing that the soy it uses is not linked to deforestation or human rights violations.

“With the current situation in Brazil, where the protection of the Amazon and the Cerrado is being deliberately dismantled, we must make sure that we do not trade with soy suppliers that contribute to this unacceptable development,” Martins said.

Mowi's commitment will help alleviate pressure on Brazilian forests and secure a more sustainable production of feed ingredients.

Mowi’s three main suppliers of non-genetically modified (GM) ProTerra certified soy protein concentrate are Caramuru, Imcopa and CJ Selecta.

Global salmon giant Grieg Seafood recently excluded Cargill Aqua Nutrition from the proceeds of its NOK 1 billion ($103 million/$92 million) green bond until its parent company Cargill has significantly reduced its soy-related deforestation risk in Brazil.

The move means that Grieg cannot use any money from the bond -- meant for commercializing new feed ingredients or innovative feed that improves fish health and welfare -- on Cargill, despite the large number of interesting projects the feed giant has in this area.