A farmers' lobby in Brazil is seeking to end a two-decade-long agreement that forbids grain traders from buying soybeans from farms on deforested land in the Amazon rainforest, claiming the deal has created an uneven playing field.
South America's agricultural sector, a key source of global food, celebrated on Friday as the regional Mercosur bloc and the European Union struck a free trade agreement, though farmers said they wanted to see the small print of the deal.
The European Union and South America's Mercosur bloc struck an agreement on a long-delayed free trade deal on Friday which now faces a tortuous battle for approval in Europe, where there is stiff opposition from France. After negotiations spanning over 20 years, and five years on from an initial deal, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her Mercosur counterparts announced an agreement had been reached in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo.
Multinational grains traders operating in Brazil are seeking to weaken an agreement that forbids buying soybeans from farms on deforested land in the Amazon rainforest, environmental advocates involved in the discussions said on Wednesday
U.S. soybean futures fell on Monday on favourable crop weather in South America, forecasts for a record-smashing Brazilian harvest and continued concerns about the incoming Trump administration's hawkish approach to trade with top soy importer China.
As the likelihood of tariffs loom over United States soybean, corn and wheat exports, that trio of commodities has been facing their share of pros and cons, said analyst Tom Lilja of Progressive Ag in Fargo, N.D.
Things have been greatly improving for Brazilian soybean and corn crops, while the jury is still out for Argentina, said Michael Cordonnier of Soybean and Corn Advisor Inc. in Hinsdale, Ill.
Brazilian soybean producers on Tuesday said there is good reason for products of Danone to be boycotted after the French dairy giant said it would stop sourcing soy from Brazil, while the Brazilian government criticized "unreasonable" moves by European companies.
Brazil's environmental protection agency IBAMA has imposed 365 million reais (C$88.9 million) in fines on cattle ranches and meat packers, including the world's largest JBS SA, for raising or buying cattle on illegally deforested land in the Amazon.
Soybean futures eased on Monday on forecasts for rain in dry areas of top exporter Brazil and Argentina and on rising United States supplies as clear Midwest weather boosted harvesting.