The undersigned organisations and their member companies are working towards a
sustainable and deforestation-free soy supply for Europe. We recognise the important role international soy traders have played in maintaining responsible supply chains from the Amazon and, therefore, we urge international traders to maintain established, efficient mechanisms for deforestation-free supply chains from the Amazon region to protect nature and meet global sustainability goals.
The Amazon Soy Moratorium is a collective agreement with shared benefits and a
pro-competitive approach: it maintains market access, enhances reputational
value, avoids trade disruptions, all while reducing compliance costs. For
nearly two decades, the Moratorium has been one of the most effective and
widely recognised initiatives in the fight against deforestation, while still enabling
Brazil’s soy sector to thrive. It has been demonstrated that agricultural growth and
environmental protection can go hand in hand.
The recent decision by Brazil’s competition authority (CADE) to suspend the Soy Moratorium creates uncertainty that threatens to undermine years of progress, undoing the hard work and investments made by soy farmers and agribusinesses that have
honoured the agreement for the past 19 years.
Whilst we understand that a temporary injunction of this suspension is in place, action is
needed to remove any market uncertainty on the future protection of the Amazon.
Critically, CADE itself has confirmed that companies may continue to apply the
2008 cut-off date independently and in line with national legislation. In light
of this, we urge traders to:
1. Publicly reaffirm the 2008 cut-off date for the Amazon for all your soy purchases – direct and indirect - in the Amazon biome, consistent with your own individual commitments and policies
2. Maintain your compliance - Should any suspension of the Amazon Soy Moratorium occur, we call for you to put in place measures to comply with the criteria of the ASM on an individual company basis until a longer-term solution is secured.
We urge you to stand firm in your commitments, safeguard your supply chains, and ensure that the collective progress of the past 19 years is not reversed.
Yours sincerely,
Danish Alliance for Responsible Soy
Donau Soja
Dutch Soy Platform Members
Ethical Trade Initiative Sweden (host organisation of the Swedish Platform on Risk Commodities)
Norwegian Dialogue on Responsible Soy
UK Soy Manifesto
Soy Network Switzerland