The soy moratorium prevents direct conversion of forest to soy plantations in the Amazon, but soy farmers can still clear land for other purposes. Author: Paulo Pereira, Paulo Pereira Credit: © Paulo Pereira / Greenpeace Copyright: © Paulo Pereira / Greenpeace
February 14, 2022
By a staff writer
Natural Health News
Soy in UK supermarket meat and dairy supply chains could be contributing to illegal deforestation in the Amazon.
A new one joint investigation by Unearthed, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Ecostorm revealed that a loophole in Amazon’s Soy Moratorium would render the supermarkets’ customer-friendly claims of “deforestation-free soy” meaningless.
Soy is a key commodity used by dairy, cattle, pig and poultry farmers in Europe and the rest of the world to feed their livestock.
The findings undermine eco-friendly claims by some global butchers, feed companies and supermarkets that soy is no longer linked to the Amazon’s demise.
Cutting the forest from the back door
In Amazon Shadow Moratorium – first agreed in 2006 – bans the sale of soybeans grown on Amazonian lands deforested after July 2008. But beef and other crops are not restricted under the soy moratorium, meaning farmers can sell their soy to traders as “deforestation-free” while clearing the rainforest for livestock, corn and other commodities.
Evidence shows that the moratorium has successfully stopped the rain forest from directly turning into shade. However, soybean farming has expanded in the Amazon, mainly on land previously cleared for livestock. This expansion can still indirectly lead to deforestation as farmers sell profits to farmers and move to forests where land is cheaper.
The investigation showed that the destruction of forests has increased in recent years.
For example, from 2009 to 2019, 1,180 square kilometers of rainforest were cut down in the state of Mato Grosso, which is located in the southern part of the Amazon and grows more soybeans than anywhere else in Brazil, in order to grow other crops or pasture for livestock. This is according to data analyzed by the Brazilian NGO Instituto Centro de Vida (ICV) and shared with investigative partners. The vast majority of this logging was illegal and unlicensed under the Brazilian Forestry Code.
This is the area of the earth, according to the global earth data calculatoran area roughly equal to the size of Hong Kong.
Destination United Kingdom
In 2020, the UK imported more than 140,000 tonnes of soya from municipalities with at least 7 square kilometers of covert logging on soya farms, and around 50,000 tonnes of maize – both crops used in the meat and milk supply chains of major food retailers for animal feed.
According to Paul Morozzo, Greenpeace UK’s senior forest campaigner, “Supermarkets cannot ignore the role of meat and dairy in the climate crisis. It’s time they take real action to end deforestation. That means deforestation and reducing meat and dairy. Until they do, they can light the Amazon match for years.”
Soy from areas most at risk of this type of forest is regularly shipped to the UK, Spain and other European countries for use as animal feed on factory farms by major grain traders, including Bunge, which supplies soy to Spain, and Cargill, a major UK supplier. Cargill’s clients include Tesco, Asda and Lidl.
The investigation found that with trade links to Europe and China, some municipalities in Mato Grosso are vulnerable to this illegal logging. The analysis shows a sharp flow of shadow from these regions to the UK, with UK companies facing deforestation in UK supply chains.
The Soy Retail Group, which includes leading retailers including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Lidl and Waitrose, has Guard The newspaper said there were limits to the moratorium and said the new allegations “further underscore the need to strengthen legal protections for these vital ecosystems.”
