Achieving Deforestation and Conversion-Free Supply Chains: A Guide to ASC Feed Principle 5

Eliminating deforestation and natural ecosystem conversion from agricultural supply chains is a central environmental objective of the ASC Feed Standard V1.2. Under Principle 5, certified feed manufacturers must demonstrate a clear public commitment and systematic operational controls to ensure plant ingredients do not originate from land cleared of natural forest or natural ecosystems.

To achieve full conformance, feed mills must categorize their plant raw materials, establish fixed cutoff dates, conduct Principle 5 Due Diligence risk assessments, and execute transparent, time-bound action plans.

Understanding the Three Plant Ingredient Categories

The standard classifies plant-based ingredients into three distinct risk and volume categories under Indicator 5.1.1:

1. Category 1: Ingredients known to have significant global deforestation risks, specifically all ingredients derived from soy and palm oil.

2. Category 2: Highest volume plant ingredients, defined as those individual plant raw materials that collectively make up at least fifty percent of the remaining plant ingredient volume after soy and palm oil have been deducted.

3. Category 3: Other plant ingredients, encompassing all remaining lower-volume plant-based raw materials.

4. Category 1 (Soy and Palm Oil): Ingredients assessed as Low Risk under Principle 5 qualify as mass balance eligible ingredients. If an ingredient is evaluated as Medium or High Risk, it can only be sourced as a non-eligible ingredient, provided the mill maintains an active public action plan to transition the supply chain to Low Risk. If no action plan exists, high-risk soy or palm oil cannot be sourced for aquafeed production.

5. Category 2 (Highest Volume Plant Ingredients): Ingredients evaluated as Low Risk are classified as eligible ingredients. If an outcome indicates Medium or High Risk, the ingredient can still be sourced as eligible, provided it is covered by an active public action plan working toward Low Risk. Sourcing is prohibited if no action plan is maintained.

6. Category 3 (Other Plant Ingredients): Conducting deforestation risk assessments for Category 3 ingredients remains voluntary under current standard rules, allowing feed mills to concentrate resources on higher-risk supply chains while encouraging broader supply chain mapping over time.

7. Public Action Plan: Within one year of initial certification, feed mills must publish a detailed action plan containing geographically specific targets, quantitative milestones, and defined target dates for reaching full deforestation-free sourcing.

8. Annual Progress Reporting: Mills must report progress publicly each year against their published action plan milestones and submit verified risk assessment outcomes to the ASC database.

9. Multi-Stakeholder Engagement: Under Indicator 5.1.14, certified feed mills must actively participate in at least one recognized multi-stakeholder platform dedicated to halting land conversion and deforestation, such as the Tropical Forest Alliance or regional commodity roundtables.

• ASC Feed Standard V1.2 (Criterion 5.1, Appendix 3, Appendix 5, Appendix 6, Appendix 8, Appendix 9)
• ASC Feed Standard Interpretation Manual V1.2 (Criterion 5.1 Guidance and Appendix 9)
• Accountability Framework initiative Operational Guidance on Cutoff Dates and Supply Chain Commitments