Threat to Brazil's Amazon: Deforestation Ban Under Siege

Mon Nov 17 2025 17:05:00 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Efforts to overturn a critical ban protecting the Amazon rainforest are mounting, raising fears of renewed deforestation and environmental disaster amidst growing agricultural pressures.

Brazil's Amazon rainforest faces significant risks as powerful agricultural interests push to repeal a protective ban that curbs deforestation linked to soya farming. The ban, credited with reducing forest clearance since 2008, is under debate as major agricultural expansions loom. Critics warn that lifting the ban could unleash devastating new waves of deforestation, pushing the ecosystem closer to a tipping point. Public and environmental group support for the ban remains strong amid concerns over the future of the Amazon and global climate health.

The Amazon rainforest could face a renewed surge of deforestation as efforts grow to overturn a long-standing ban that has protected it.

The ban - which prohibits the sale of soya grown on land cleared after 2008 - is widely credited with curbing deforestation and has been held up as a global environmental success story.

But powerful farming interests in Brazil, backed by a group of Brazilian politicians, are pushing to lift the restrictions as the COP30 UN climate conference enters its second week.

Critics of the ban say it is an unfair cartel which allows a small group of powerful companies to dominate the Amazon's soya trade.

Environmental groups have warned removing the ban would be disaster, opening the way for a new wave of land grabbing to plant more soya in the world's largest rainforest.

Scientists say ongoing deforestation, combined with the effects of climate change, is already driving the Amazon towards a potential tipping point – a threshold beyond which the rainforest can no longer sustain itself.

Brazil is the world's largest producer of soya beans, a staple crop grown for its protein and an important animal feed. Much of the meat consumed in the UK – including chicken, beef, pork and farmed fish - is raised using feeds that include soya beans, about 10% of which are sourced from the Brazilian Amazon.

While some Brazilian politicians advocate lifting the moratorium, many argue it is essential to prevent further ecological damage. Public opinion in the UK also appears to be firmly against changes to the ban, with a significant majority supporting actions to eliminate illegal deforestation from UK supply chains.

Scientists warn that a change in this policy could have catastrophic effects, potentially leading to widespread deforestation and a domino effect on global weather patterns and biodiversity.