Over 50 leading UK businesses, representing more than 60% of the UK’s demand for soy, have reaffirmed their support for the Amazon Soy Moratorium (ASM), a groundbreaking, voluntary agreement that has substantially helped to decouple soy production from deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon since it was introduced in 2008.
The message was delivered by the UK Soy Manifesto, whose signatories include some of the country’s most recognizable food industry leaders, including major UK supermarkets, large restaurant chains, food manufacturers and ingredients businesses. It comes at a critical moment, as the ASM faces mounting pressure from the agribusiness sector and new legislation that threatens to dismantle its protections.
New state-level legislation in Brazil, including the withdrawal of tax incentives for companies adhering to the ASM, is widely viewed as an attempt to weaken the effectiveness and international credibility of the moratorium, which is supported by a wide range of NGOs, including Greenpeace and WWF.
“The ASM has been one of the most effective voluntary agreements in tackling deforestation. Weakening it now risks reversing one of the most successful forest conservation models in modern history,” said Jonathan Gorman, Secretariat, UK Soy Manifesto.
According to the manifesto, since its adoption, the ASM has helped prevent the conversion of over 1.8 million hectares of Amazon forest. Today, over 98% of soy grown in the Amazon biome is compliant, meaning soy is now responsible for just 0.2% of direct deforestation in the region.
If the Moratorium were to collapse, it would undermine the efforts of global supply chain actors – farmers, soy traders, feed producers and food companies, committed to supporting sustainable production of soy and remove long-standing supply chain controls. It would also harm Brazil’s international standing as a sustainable producer, just as it prepares to host COP30.
Moreover, it does not prevent future soy production: 1.7 million hectares of land on existing soy properties cleared prior to 2008 could be used for expanded soy production without encroaching on protected forests and the risk of further deforestation.
The UK Soy Manifesto, supported by major UK retailers and food companies, is calling on all parties to maintain and strengthen the Moratorium as a vital safeguard for the Amazon rainforest and the global climate.
The full statement from the UK Soy Manifesto can be found here.
