Soy Moratorium is renewed

The Soy Moratorium, an agreement between civil society, industry and government that has an important contribution to reducing deforestation in the Amazon, was renewed today in a ceremony held in Brasília at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Environment (MMA). The novelty of this year's agreement is the extension of the Moratorium for an indefinite period of time – or, as the renewal term says, until it is no longer necessary. Established in July 2006, the agreement has been renewed annually since 2008. The soybean complex – grains, bran and oil – leads the list of exports of

agriculture in Brazil, having generated revenue of US$31,27 billion in 2015.

Signed for the first time in 2006, after a series of complaints made by Greenpeace linking the production of grain in the Amazon to deforestation, the Soy Moratorium is an agreement assumed by trading companies where the companies undertake not to buy grain from areas that were deforested after signing the agreement. The reference date for the moratorium was later changed to 2008, in line with the new Forest Code. This commitment is rigorously monitored by the GTS using a methodology based on the analysis of satellite images provided by INPE and statistical analysis developed in field visits and overflights, supported by auditing of contracts between farmers and purchasing companies.

Since the Moratorium came into force, the area occupied by soy in the Amazon biome has increased from just over 1 million hectares to 3,6 million. This enormous expansion did not result, however, in an exponential increase in deforested areas. In the last harvest, the area planted with the grain in deforestation that occurred after 2008 corresponded to just 0,8% of the total soybean area in the Amazon Biome. “This proves that it is possible to produce more without destroying the forest,” said Adario.

Ending deforestation is among the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, signed by several countries, including Brazil, and is the desire of more than 1,4 million Brazilians who signed the Zero Deforestation bill, delivered to Congress in last year. The Soy Moratorium is one of the best examples of how Zero Deforestation can be put into practice and proof that ending the destruction of the Amazon is beneficial for everyone.