Threatening the Amazon: The Battle Over Soy Moratorium

Mon Nov 17 2025 16:46:07 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Brazil's Amazon rainforest, renowned for its biodiversity, faces significant challenges as a ban on soya production linked to deforestation is under threat. Powerful farming interests push for its repeal, igniting fears of a surge in deforestation.

As Brazil approaches the COP30 climate conference, efforts are mounting to overturn the Amazon Soy Moratorium that has successfully limited deforestation since 2008. Advocates for lifting the ban cite unfair competition, while environmentalists warn of disastrous consequences for the Amazon and the global climate. With Brazil's role as the largest soya producer, the implications of this conflict extend far beyond national borders.

The Amazon rainforest could face a renewed surge of deforestation as efforts grow to overturn a long-standing ban that has protected it.

The ban - which prohibits the sale of soya grown on land cleared after 2008 - is widely credited with curbing deforestation and has been held up as a global environmental success story.

But powerful farming interests in Brazil, backed by a group of Brazilian politicians, are pushing to lift the restrictions as the COP30 UN climate conference enters its second week.

Critics of the ban say it is an unfair cartel which allows a small group of powerful companies to dominate the Amazon's soya trade.

Environmental groups have warned removing the ban would be disaster, opening the way for a new wave of land grabbing to plant more soya in the world's largest rainforest.

Scientists say ongoing deforestation, combined with the effects of climate change, is already driving the Amazon towards a potential tipping point – a threshold beyond which the rainforest can no longer sustain itself.

Brazil is the world's largest producer of soya beans, a staple crop grown for its protein and an important animal feed. Much of the meat consumed in the UK – including chicken, beef, pork and farmed fish - is raised using feeds that include soya beans, about 10% of which are sourced from the Brazilian Amazon.

Many major UK food companies support the Amazon Soy Moratorium to help ensure UK soy supply chains remain free from deforestation. Public opinion in the UK also appears to be firmly behind protecting the Amazon, with a recent survey showing 70% of respondents supporting government action against illegal deforestation.

Despite these pressures, Brazilian opponents of the agreement demand the Supreme Court reopen an investigation into whether the moratorium amounts to anti-competitive behavior. Farmers argue that the moratorium restricts their ability to grow soya beans, leading to economic disadvantages.

The challenge has divided the Brazilian government. While the Justice Ministry hints at potential anti-competitive behaviors, both the Ministry of the Environment and the Federal Public Prosecutors Office have defended the ban. The voluntary agreement was originally signed by farmers, environmental organizations, and major global food companies, and has significantly reduced deforestation rates in the past.

However, scientists are alert to the ongoing risks. With crucial ecological functions being disrupted, the consequences could include vast areas of rainforest transitioning to savannah-like ecosystems, drastically impacting carbon storage, biodiversity, and weather patterns globally.