Latest news with #SoyMoratorium
Reuters
30-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Almost all farmers blocked by Brazil's 'Soy Moratorium' cleared land illegally, traders' study finds
SAO PAULO, July 30 (Reuters) - Almost 98% of the farms that are blocked by Brazil's "Soy Moratorium," a corporate agreement that seeks to protect the Amazon rainforest, cleared land illegally in Mato Grosso state, according to a study commissioned by oilseed lobby Abiove, which oversees the pact. Under the moratorium, a two-decade-old voluntary agreement, some of the world's top grain traders, such as ADM (ADM.N), opens new tab, Bunge (BG.N), opens new tab and Cargill, committed not to buy soy grown on land deforested after 2008, regardless of whether farmers had cleared land legally or not. Brazilian farmers, who in recent months have stepped up attacks against the moratorium, have long complained that the agreement blocks farmers who comply with environmental rules, which bar farmers from clearing more than 20% of properties to grow commercial crops in the Amazon after 2008. But the new study, which was obtained by Reuters exclusively, shows that only 50 of the 2,168 farms that were blocked by the moratorium in Mato Grosso, Brazil's largest soy producer, had authorization from the government to clear plots where they now grow soy. Another 440 farms deforested more land than they were authorized to clear, moratorium data for Mato Grosso showed. Aprosoja-MT, which represents the state's farmers, said it could not comment on the study because it did not have access to its findings. It said the debate over the soybean moratorium is not environmental, but rather of a competitive nature. "The moratorium is commercially biased and excludes soybean producers from exercising their right to sell their product, imposing a rule that violates our legislation and our national sovereignty." The study, which covers the 2022/23 harvest, used proprietary moratorium data as well as federal and state databases to show that the agreement currently blocks soy farms covering 614,495 hectares (1.518 million acres), representing 5.25% of Mato Grosso's soybean area. Soy now covers 11.7 million hectares (28.9 million acres) in the state, half of which sit in the sensitive Amazon biome, which is essential for the global struggle to curb climate change and biodiversity loss. Scientists say that the moratorium was successful in stopping much of the soy-driven deforestation in the Amazon. Mato Grosso produced 51 million tons of soybeans in 2024/25, nearly a third of Brazil's output. Brazilian farmers have launched multiple legal challenges against the moratorium and also persuaded state legislators in Mato Grosso to pass new laws to weaken the program.
The Star
29-04-2025
- Business
- The Star
Brazil's Supreme Court deals blow to Amazon 'Soy Moratorium'
FILE PHOTO: Farmers harvest soybeans on a farm in Maringa in Parana state, Brazil, March 3, 2025. REUTERS/Rodolfo Buhrer/File Photo SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Brazil's Supreme Court will allow the country's biggest farming state to withdraw tax incentives from signatories of the so-called "Soy Moratorium," a voluntary ban by grain traders on soybean purchases from Amazon areas deforested after 2008, in a setback for the conservation movement. Conservationists have praised the 2006 Soy Moratorium initiative for slowing damage to the world's largest rainforest. But the agreement is under growing pressure from farmers' lobbies interested in expanding plantings to meet rising demand for soy from Brazil, the leading producer globally. Separately on Tuesday, Brazil's Mato Grosso farmers lobby Aprosoja-MT filed a fresh lawsuit against global grain companies and their Brazilian lobbies over the rules of the moratorium, according to a copy of the complaint filed with the court and seen by Reuters. They want the court to force the defendants to cease what they called "the illegal conduct that has been practiced within the scope of the Soy Moratorium." Farmers are seeking to persuade the judge to make the defendants pay compensation for the losses this agreement allegedly imposed on Brazilian soybean farmers. Aprosoja-MT is suing the Brazilian units of ADM, Bunge, Cargill, Louis Dreyfus Company and COFCO and lobbies for grain exporters, such as Abiove and Anec. Louis Dreyfus Company referred Reuters to Abiove for comment. Cargill and Abiove declined to comment on the lawsuit. Anec and the other firms did not immediately reply to requests for comment. Mato Grosso state, which supplies almost a third of Brazil's soybeans, passed a law last year pulling tax advantages for those joining the Soy Moratorium. The Supreme Court had provisionally suspended enforcement of the law pending a ruling on its compliance with the constitution. RULING TO BE CONFIRMED In the decision handed down on Monday following arguments from Mato Grosso, Justice Flavio Dino acknowledged the moratorium as an important conservation tool; however, he wrote it cannot be used to constrain the actions of the state. The state "may base its tax incentive policy on criteria that are different from those of a private agreement, as long as it is in compliance with national legislation," Dino wrote. "It seems reasonable to me that [Mato Grosso] state should not be obliged to grant tax incentives or public land [use] to companies failing to comply with laws that took effect after the signing of the Soy Moratorium," he added. The ruling must now be confirmed by a panel of Supreme Court justices before it can be enforced from January 1, 2026, the decision said. Abiove, which represents soybean traders, said last week before a Senate committee that the case gave the soy industry a chance to improve the moratorium. On the Supreme Court's decision itself, Abiove vowed to open talks with the Mato Grosso government to discuss the application of the new law if the panel confirms the latest ruling on the matter. Abiove praised the fact Justice Dino gave time in his decision for private and public agents to have talks. Abiove added Dino's decision "makes it clear" that all previous legal acts and acquired rights "are guaranteed," meaning the incentives already granted to the trading companies cannot be withdrawn, according to the statement. The current moratorium agreement bars soy purchases from a whole farm if it includes areas deforested since 2008, and one potential change could allow more flexibility by drawing a distinction between individual soy fields. Farmers and traders, however, have yet to reach a compromise. (Reporting by Ana Mano in São Paulo and Ricardo Brito in Brasília; Additional reporting by Oliver Griffin in São PauloEditing by Joe Bavier and Aurora Ellis)
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Brazil's Supreme Court deals blow to Amazon 'Soy Moratorium'
By Ana Mano and Ricardo Brito SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's Supreme Court will allow the country's biggest farming state to withdraw tax incentives from signatories of the so-called "Soy Moratorium", a voluntary ban by grain traders on soybean purchases from Amazon areas deforested after 2008. Conservationists have praised the initiative for slowing damage to the world's largest rainforest. But it is under growing pressure from farmers' lobbies interested in expanding plantings to meet rising demand for soy from Brazil, the leading producer globally. Mato Grosso state, which supplies almost a third of Brazil's soybeans, passed a law last year pulling tax advantages for those joining the Soy Moratorium. The Supreme Court had provisionally suspended enforcement of the law pending a ruling on its compliance with the constitution. In the decision handed down on Monday following arguments from Mato Grosso, Justice Flavio Dino acknowledged the moratorium as an important conservation tool, however, he wrote it cannot be used to constrain the actions of the state. The state "may base its tax incentive policy on criteria that are different from those of a private agreement, as long as it is in compliance with national legislation," Dino wrote. "It seems reasonable to me that [Mato Grosso] state should not be obliged to grant tax incentives or public land [use] to companies failing to comply with laws that took effect after the signing of the Soy Moratorium," he added. The ruling must now be confirmed by a panel of Supreme Court justices before it can be enforced from January 1, 2026, the decision said. Abiove, which represents soybean traders, did not have an immediate comment on the ruling though it said last week that the case gave the soy industry a chance to improve the moratorium. The current agreement bars soy purchases from a whole farm if it includes areas deforested since 2008, and one potential change could allow more flexibility by drawing a distinction between individual soy fields. Farmers and traders, however, have yet to reach a compromise.
Reuters
29-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Brazil's Supreme Court deals blow to Amazon 'Soy Moratorium'
SAO PAULO, April 29 (Reuters) - Brazil's Supreme Court will allow the country's biggest farming state to withdraw tax incentives from signatories of the so-called "Soy Moratorium", a voluntary ban by grain traders on soybean purchases from Amazon areas deforested after 2008. Conservationists have praised the initiative for slowing damage to the world's largest rainforest. But it is under growing pressure from farmers' lobbies interested in expanding plantings to meet rising demand for soy from Brazil, the leading producer globally. Mato Grosso state, which supplies almost a third of Brazil's soybeans, passed a law last year pulling tax advantages for those joining the Soy Moratorium. The Supreme Court had provisionally suspended enforcement of the law pending a ruling on its compliance with the constitution. In the decision handed down on Monday following arguments from Mato Grosso, Justice Flavio Dino acknowledged the moratorium as an important conservation tool, however, he wrote it cannot be used to constrain the actions of the state. The state "may base its tax incentive policy on criteria that are different from those of a private agreement, as long as it is in compliance with national legislation," Dino wrote. "It seems reasonable to me that [Mato Grosso] state should not be obliged to grant tax incentives or public land [use] to companies failing to comply with laws that took effect after the signing of the Soy Moratorium," he added. The ruling must now be confirmed by a panel of Supreme Court justices before it can be enforced from January 1, 2026, the decision said. Abiove, which represents soybean traders, did not have an immediate comment on the ruling though it said last week that the case gave the soy industry a chance to improve the moratorium. The current agreement bars soy purchases from a whole farm if it includes areas deforested since 2008, and one potential change could allow more flexibility by drawing a distinction between individual soy fields. Farmers and traders, however, have yet to reach a compromise.
