Brazilian authorities have suspended the Amazon soy moratorium, a landmark environmental pact that for nearly two decades curbed deforestation linked to soybean farming. The decision could open up an area the size of Portugal to potential forest clearance, sparking alarm among conservationists and global food companies.
The soy moratorium, first adopted in 2006, was a voluntary agreement between farmers, traders, environmental groups, and international food giants like Cargill and McDonald’s. It banned the purchase of soy grown on Amazon land deforested after 2008, regardless of whether the clearance was legal under Brazilian law. Since its adoption, the pact has been hailed as one of the world’s most successful conservation measures, preventing an estimated 17,000 sq km of Amazon deforestation while allowing soy production to expand elsewhere.
Political Pressure Before Cop30
The suspension was ordered by Cade Brazil anti-monopoly agency, which warned traders such as Bunge, Cargill, Louis Dreyfus, and Cofco to halt the moratorium within 10 days or face penalties. Cade argued the agreement involved “sharing commercially sensitive information.”
Conservationists say the move reflects mounting political pressure from Brazil powerful agribusiness lobby. Greenpeace Brazil called it a “terrible mistake” that rewards those driving forest destruction. “Without the moratorium, soy will once again become a major driver of Amazon deforestation,” warned Cristiane Mazzetti, the group’s forest campaign coordinator.
The timing is especially sensitive. In November, Brazil will host Cop30 in Belém, the first UN climate summit ever held in the Amazon. Environmentalists say the suspension undermines President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s climate commitments and sends “the wrong signal to the world” ahead of the talks.
Global Backlash and Consumer Pressure
International NGOs and retailers have urged companies to stick to the principles of the moratorium on an individual basis. “This puts a decade-long agreement to protect the Amazon in the bin,” said Tanya Steele, WWF-UK chief executive. A WWF survey earlier this year showed 70% of UK consumers support government action to keep deforestation-linked products out of supply chains.
Agribusiness groups in Mato Grosso, Brazil’s soybean heartland, welcomed the suspension, calling the moratorium “a private agreement without legal backing” that unfairly restricted farmers. Analysts estimate that 10 million hectares could now be legally cleared for soy, dramatically raising land values in the Amazon region.
Conservationists warn the decision risks not only forests and climate goals but also the global reputation of Brazilian soy. As Bel Lyon of WWF-UK put it: “Market demand must not allow the profits of a few to fuel ecosystem collapse. Forests are essential for food security, climate stability, and health in an unstable world.”