Soya & Rainforest Dilemma?

[Northern Vegan]

Hi. How do you feel about virgin rainforest being removed so that soya beans can be planted? I've asked the opinion of the Veg Soc about this and the message I got said that this was done mainly for biofuel and was better than deforestation for grazing - however we all know that soya bean crops all go into the same 'pot' to be divided up by buyers to suit their requirements, so it's not possible in most cases to say that your soya bean product wasn't created from a crop resulting from an area of deforestation - in fact the majority of soya beans are grown on land that was once virgin rainforest at some time in the recent past.

Personally I feel sickened by this and aim to steadily replace soya in my diet for substitutes, which is very difficult for me as the core of my diet is soya based, so I'm struggling to get there.

I do wonder how other vegans feel about this issue - is it okay that your soya is grown on deforested land? I don't believe it is right. Please give me your views. Thanks.

p.s. this is also something that makes me feel mad when I keep reading vegan promo that our diet is "good for the environment" - how can it be so good when soya is contributing to the destruction of rainforests??

p.p.s. with the popularisation of soya products and more people turning to soya instead of meat are we just replacing one form of deforestation (cattle) for another (soya) - I think that we are - so what can be done? I certainly don't want the lasting legacy of veganism to be swathes of rainforest replaced by soya beans to feed a new generation of veggies/vegans!

[Andy]

Do not worry so much. We will impact the earth by existing.
By eating soya directly (rather than via a cow for example) we are far more efficient.
I believe that 75% of what is grown is for animals.

[Mark]

This is a good question & one I get a lot from non veggies trying to be clever
From the research I did on it I found there are two types of soya production.
The bulk of it is very resistant to pesticides & other nasties & mainly grown for cattle feed & to pad out other food products. its not really a healthy product and not something I would like to consume.
The second type is that used for human foods but really its best to go for organic soya just to be on the safe side.
Organic soya is good in that you only need a little bit of it nutritionally.

Mark