Brazil authorities suspend key Amazon rainforest protection measure | Environment

One of the main agreements for the protection against the tropical forest of Amazon – the soybean moratorium – was suspended by the Brazilian authorities, which could open an area the size of Portugal to destruction by farmers.

Coming less than three months before Brazil is hosting the COP30 Climate Summit in Belém, the news has shocked conservation groups, which say that it is now more important than ever than consumers, supermarkets and traders oppose Brazilian agro-industry who use their growing political power to reverse the previous environmental gains.

Brazil is the largest soy exporter in the world. The legume, used largely for animal food and fish, is one of the most cultivated cultures in Brazil, and has been a huge threat of deforestation for the Amazonian tropical forest until stakeholders voluntarily agree to impose a moratorium and no longer propose it from the region in 2006.

The voluntary agreement brought together farmers, environmentalists and international food companies such as Cargill and McDonald’s, and has determined that any detection of soybeans beans planted in the areas challenged after 2008 would result in the closure of the Farm of Supply Chains, that the land is legal in Brazil.

During the 19 years since 19, the moratorium has been praised as a conservation success which improved the reputation of the world brands, allowed the production of soy to develop considerably without the destruction of Amazon and prevented around 17,000 km2 of deforestation.

But earlier this week, it was revealed that the anti-monopoly agency, CADE (the administrative council for economic defense) had given cereal merchants, such as Bungle, Cargill, Louis Dreyfus and Cofco, 10 days to suspend the moratorium or face financial sanctions. The Sounter Générale de Cade, Alexandre Barreto de Souza, said that he had triggered an investigation into the moratorium, noting that he involved sharing commercially sensitive information.

Brazil de Greenpeace described the decision as “terrible error”, which is the result of the political pressure of the “regressive wings of the agro-industry” which aimed to punish those who protect the forests and reward those who benefit the most from Amazonian destruction.

“Without the soybean moratorium, considered one of the most effective multiple chargers agreements in the world, soy will become a major engine of Amazonian deforestation, and this will bury Brazil that Brazil achieves its climatic objectives,” said Cristiane Mazzetti, coordinator of the group’s forest campaign.

Politically, the timing could not be more embarrassing for the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. In November, Brazil will organize the first climate conference to be held in the Amazon, which the hosts had hoped would be a showcase for the earnings he made to reduce deforestation.

But in the Brazilian congress, the dominant lobby of agro-industry adopted legislation which undermines the demarcation of indigenous land and the environmental license system, a stage that conservation groups have described as the largest setback in 40 years. The new decision on the soy’s moratorium adds to retirement.

“The tear of this agreement on the day before the COP30 climate talks completely sends the bad signal to the world,” said Tanka Steele, general manager of WWF-UK. “This is a perilous development which takes an agreement of a decade to protect the Amazon in the bac and also would have a large -scale impact on British and global companies. This suspension must be reversed. After a summer of fires and extreme heat felt around the world, now more than ever we have to save the Amazon. ”

A large part of political pressure comes from the state of Mato Grosso, the capital of soybeans of Brazil, which revoked the fiscal incentives last year to companies engaged in agreements such as the Soy Moratory. The Abrosoja Mato Grosso industry group praised the “historic” decision against what it called “a private agreement without legal support [that] imposed unfair commercial barriers to farmers ”.

David Cleary, a retired director of NGOs involved in the Amazon since the 1980s, says that soy producers want more land to extend production and increase the value of their active in Amazon. He estimates that around 10 million hectares (25 m acres) – almost the size of Portugal – could agree to a legal authorization for soybeans if the moratorium is revoked, which increases the value of this land by five.

Many expect prolonged legal disputes on the grounds that the moratorium cannot be considered as a cartel. In the meantime, environmentalists urged soy traders to pursue the principles of the moratorium on an individual basis for the good of their international reputation.

There is a strong support among consumers for the protection of Amazon. A WWF survey earlier this year revealed that 70% of British support government action to eliminate illegal deforestation of British supply chains.

“Consumers and retailers have an essential role to play,” said Bel Lyon de WWF-UK. “Market demand should not allow the benefits of a few to supply the collapse of the ecosystem and price instability. Forests are essential for food and energy security, offering climatic and health benefits in an increasingly unstable world. ”