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Brazil's Amazon soy moratorium faces legal challenge amid deforestation fears
A long-standing ban on selling soy grown on deforested Amazon land could be overturned as Brazilian farming groups and politicians push to lift restrictions during the COP30 climate summit, raising concerns over renewed environmental destruction.
The moratorium's impact and its critics
The Amazon Soy Moratorium, established in 2008, prohibits the trade of soybeans cultivated on land cleared after that year. Environmentalists credit it with drastically reducing deforestation, calling it a global conservation success. However, farming lobbies argue the ban stifles economic growth, labeling it an anti-competitive "cartel" that benefits a handful of dominant agribusinesses.
Vanderlei Ataídes, president of the Soya Farmers Association of Pará-a key soy-producing state-told the BBC the moratorium "works against development." He questioned its environmental logic: "I can't plant soy, but I can grow corn, rice, or cotton on the same land. Why the restriction?"
Divided government, global stakes
Brazil's government is split on the issue. While the Justice Ministry hints at potential anti-competitive practices, the Environment Ministry and Federal Public Prosecutors Office defend the moratorium. The dispute has reached the Supreme Court, where opponents demand a review of the agreement's legality.
Originally brokered by farmers, NGOs, and corporations like Cargill and Bunge, the moratorium followed a 2006 Greenpeace exposé linking deforested soy to McDonald's chicken feed. The fast-food giant later became a key supporter, alongside UK retailers like Tesco, Sainsbury's, and McDonald's, which rely on the ban to ensure deforestation-free supply chains.
"Suspending the moratorium would be a disaster for the Amazon, its people, and the world-it could open an area the size of Portugal to deforestation."
Bel Lyon, WWF's chief advisor for Latin America
Scientific warnings and local consequences
Scientists warn the Amazon is nearing a "tipping point", where deforestation and climate change could transform the rainforest into a savannah. Data from the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment (LBA) shows declining moisture cycles, as fewer trees release water vapor, intensifying droughts and creating a deadly feedback loop.
Local farmers like Raimundo Barbosa, who grows cassava near Santarém, describe the fallout: "Where there's forest, it's normal. Without it, it just gets hotter, rains less, and rivers dry up." His account echoes broader concerns that soy expansion disrupts weather patterns critical to small-scale agriculture.
Economic pressures and infrastructure
The push to lift the moratorium coincides with Brazil's planned Ferrogrão railway, a project linking the agricultural south to the Amazon. Expected to slash transport costs, the railway could further incentivize land clearing for soy and other crops.
Deforestation rates have fluctuated with political shifts: they fell under President Lula da Silva (2003-2010), surged during Jair Bolsonaro's pro-development administration (2019-2022), and declined again since Lula's return in 2023. Yet scientists stress the forest's resilience is waning.
Global supply chains at risk
The UK imports about 10% of its soy from the Brazilian Amazon, feeding livestock for chicken, beef, pork, and farmed fish. A WWF survey this year found 70% of Britons support government action to eliminate illegal deforestation from UK supply chains. Major food brands, through the UK Soy Manifesto, have urged continued enforcement of the moratorium.
