(Bloomberg) – Brazil’s antitrust regulator has ruled in favor of major soybean dealers, saying that companies under which Cargill Inc. and Bunge Global SA is allowed to continue a treaty that boycott crops from recently deforested soil in the Amazon. The majority of advisors of the Cade regulator voted on Tuesday to lift a preventative measure that was implemented in August through the rest of 2025, which suspended the moratorium. Activities associated with the moratorium, such as the auditing of soybean providers, can continue through the end of the year. The decision gives businesses and government agencies enough time to consult and achieve an understanding, advisor José Levi Mello Do Amaral Júnior said. His winning vote was followed by three more members of the regulators. However, the antitrust authority will continue with the question of whether the agreement – a public commitment by traders to prevent the acquisition of soybeans of land that was deforested in the Amazon after 2008 – created a cartel. While not defining, the decision reduces immediate environmental risks, as Brazil is preparing to host the COP30 climate summit in Belém in November. The ruling comes after an appeal was filed by the operating group Abiove, which dealers such as Cargill, Bunge, Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. and Louis Dreyfus Co. represent. The traders argued that the moratorium is essential to preserve the Amazon forest. Abiove said in a statement after the decision that it was “available to cooperate with the competent authorities in order to promote legal certainty and regulatory predictability in the sector.” -With help from Mariana Durao. (Updates to describe the preventative measure in the second paragraph more fully.) More stories like these are available on Bloomberg.com © 2025 Bloomberg MP
Brazil -Regulator agrees to hold Amazon Soy Ban by 2025
