In response to European companies that chose to interrupt the acquisition of Brazilian soybeans, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) issued a statement on Tuesday night (29) stating that Brazil has one of the strictest environmental laws in the world.
“Brazil has some of the most rigorous environmental legislation in the world, supported by an efficient command and control system and supported by a complex monitoring and inspection structure. This system has allowed the country to combat illegal deforestation with public policies that cover the Cerrado, the Amazon and other sensitive regions, ensuring that agricultural production is carried out in a responsible and sustainable manner”, said Mapa in a note.
At the beginning of the month, the European Commission proposed postponing – from December 2024 to December 2025 – the entry into force of the European Union (EU) anti-deforestation law. Officially called the European Union Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR), the law determines that European importers must monitor their supply chains to ensure that imported products do not come from deforested areas.
“Brazil considers the EUDR standards to be arbitrary, unilateral and punitive, given that they disregard the particularities of producing countries and impose requirements with significant impacts on costs and the participation of small producers in the European market”, says the Mapa document.
The ministry also stated that the new standards make it difficult for Brazilian products, products from Latin America and other origins, such as Asia, to access the European market. “Positive incentives are more effective in promoting environmental protection, compensating and remunerating those who provide environmental services,” says the document.
According to Mapa, Brazilian agriculture is committed to fair and environmentally responsible trade. Data from the Brazilian sector, according to the ministry, demonstrate a positive detachment in terms of productivity gains and reduction of negative impacts compared to other countries.
“Brazil is ready to collaborate, but demands to be treated with the same fairness and balance that guide international commercial relations and untimely and unreasonable stances as announced by European companies, with a strong presence of activity also in the Brazilian market, must be rejected”, says the document.
