UK and European retailers urge soy safeguards after traders leave Amazon moratorium

Leading British and European retailers have written an open letter pressing major soy traders to agree new safeguards for Amazon soy after Brazilian lawmakers and international traders abandoned the 20‑year‑old moratorium, the retailers said. The letter, from high street brands including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Lidl, Aldi, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer and the Co‑op, is addressed to traders Cargill, Bunge, Louis Dreyfuss and Cofco.

The traders are members of Brazil’s Abiove, which recently removed its name from the moratorium’s official website, and conservation groups warned that without their participation a "free‑for‑all" could open up more Amazon land to clearance. The retailers said they will continue to apply the moratorium principle of not sourcing soy from Amazon land cleared after 2008 and urged traders and producers to clarify whether they still adhere to previous climate and environmental commitments and can provide assurances on reporting, monitoring and verification.

Under the voluntary agreement, any detection of soya planted on areas deforested after 2008 would lead to a farm being blocked from supply chains, and supporters say the moratorium had prevented an estimated 17,000 sq km (6,564 sq miles) of deforestation. The moratorium has faced pressure from Brazil’s agribusiness lobby, including moves in the soy heartland of Mato Grosso to revoke tax incentives, and Brazil has threatened penalties over alleged sharing of commercially sensitive information.

Key Topics

Business, Tesco, Cargill, Abiove, Amazon Rainforest, Mato Grosso