Manaus (dpa -AfX) – The environmental protection organization Greenpeace and the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment warn of new dangers for the Amazon after the suspension of an agreement that prevents soybean cultivation on cleared areas. Without this so-called soy moratorium, soy “will once again become a main driver of the Amazon destruction” and Brazil loses “every chance to meet its climate goals,” said Cristiane Mazzetti from Greenpeace Brazil.
The Brazilian competitive authority (Cade) had decided on Monday to put the moratorium on hold since 2006. The agreement prohibits the purchase of soy that comes from areas that were cleared in the Amazon after 2008. Greenpeace criticized that the decision was the result of massive pressure from the agricultural lobby.
The Brazilian Ministry of the Environment also expressed concern. The almost 20 -year -existing agreement has achieved “considerable success for environmental protection” and contained no evidence of contrary practices that could justify a preventive suspension, it said in a message. The constitution determines both free competition and environmental protection as the cornerstone. A one -sided focus on competition without environmental consideration is “a distortion of the constitutional order”.
Moratorium as an important instrument against deforestation
According to Greenpeace, the moratorium is one of the most successful instruments for forest protection in Brazil: from 2009 to 2022, deforestation in controlled areas decreased by 69 percent. At the same time, soy production in the same monitored communities has grown.
According to Greenpeace, the European Union is one of the most important markets for Brazilian soy, which is used as animal feed. Germany imported more than 1.8 million tons directly from Brazil in 2024./PPZ/DP/HE