EU Grocers Urge Traders to Defend Brazil Soy Deforestation Ban

Mandate a zero-deforestation verification for every Brazilian soy shipment by 2025 and publish annual progress that names suppliers, tracks farm origins, and marks risk zones.

In 2023 EU grocers imported roughly 11 million tonnes of Brazilian soy, with an estimated 14% traced to lands that had been cleared in the prior five years. By tightening traceability, increasing independent audits, and expanding collaboration with ngos, that share can drop to single-digit levels within two to three years.

Subject to a transparent framework, grocers should set clear δεσμεύσεις and report the state of progress. Findings found through independent audits should feed public γραπτή εργασία on dashboards, showing which farms are cleared and which remain verified.

International partners, including ngos and the association of European grocers, must align on a common standard. The dreyfus initiative funds mapping of supply chains and risk scoring for proteins, aiming to ensure that plant- and animal-protein products rely on solid safeguards instead of cleared lands.

Earths ecosystems in the Cerrado and Amazon deserve priority. A general challenge exists to balance reliable supply with environmental safeguards, but commendable practice by several grocers shows that a disciplined approach can reduce cleared land by more than 40% by 2027, while maintaining more predictable volumes.

Writing a concise policy brief with action steps will help the world see how this subject evolves: more transparent sourcing, stronger δεσμεύσεις backed guarantees, and proactive risk management. The commitments of EU grocers create a framework that others can follow, turning policy into concrete procurement decisions.

Actionable steps for retailers, suppliers, and regulators

Immediately require a binding agreement with suppliers to map every farm and slaughterhouse in the soy supply chain and translate risk signals into targeted action thats aligned with deforestation goals to cut deforestation-linked sourcing by 90% within two years. Create a shared data standard for origin, farm size, planting cycles, and risk flags, and attach attestations to every contract renewal so non-compliant firms cannot maintain supply.

Address critical risk points by auditing slaughterhouses and mills identified in risk maps, prioritizing the top 20 suppliers by volume–including carrefour and cofco–and verifying that upstream sourcing aligns with deforestation-free commitments. Use third-party verifiers and random spot checks every quarter to catch breaches when detected and ensure they are caught early, preventing them from spreading more around the globe.

Forge an association-wide agreement that aligns retailers, suppliers, and regulators on minimum standards: no new deforestation, no conversion of high-carbon lands, and clear emissions reporting. Require firms to publish progress against milestones, with public dashboards by region to improve accountability and to help achieve measurable improvements in supply chain integrity. If markets push back, trump resistance by demonstrating economic gains from risk reduction.

Empower regulators to monitor compliance by requiring public disclosures from major firms and by linking licenses to verified sourcing. Create a public registry of compliant farms and slaughterhouses, with regular audits and penalties for violations. Align with global players like cofco to close gaps between jurisdictions and avoid loopholes that let deforestation slip through.

For retailers and suppliers, implement strict sourcing criteria, establish reform timelines, and use contract clauses that enable immediate sourcing switches when a farm or slaughterhouse loses certification. Build capacity by training teams, sharing more best practices through the association, and coordinating with regulators to resolve challenges quickly. Maintain communications with consumers by offering transparent labels about origin and progress, and monitor emissions reductions to ensure ongoing progress beyond initial targets.

Carrefour progress: ending deforestation in cattle-supply chains

Adopt a zero-deforestation approach across cattle-supply chains and reaffirm action by tying all brazilian cattle purchases to auditable, satellite-backed evidence, where supplying farms meet strict deforestation-free criteria, and never tolerate a supplier that cannot prove zero-deforestation.

Carrefour leverages its europe-wide network and collaboration with traders to shift incentives toward deforestation-free sourcing, delivering significant progress by turning commitments into leverage across the value chain. The challenge remains to monitor a vast, dispersed supply base, but a robust plan–combining on-site audits, remote sensing, and real-time disclosures–helps address risk and set clear changes in supplier expectations.

Where risk still exists in the amazonian footprint, Carrefour restricts supplying from farms that fail to meet deforestation criteria and routes purchases toward brazilian operations with verifiable zero-deforestation credentials.

Tariffs and internal incentives reward compliant suppliers, while non-compliant ones face reduced purchases and accelerated contract changes, reinforcing a firm stance without sacrificing proteins availability for europe.

Beyond beef, the program covers other proteins and groceries, aligning agriculture supply chains around zero-deforestation, with louis Dreyfus Company contributing to shared traceability standards.

To scale impact, publish annual progress dashboards for europe policymakers and customers, coordinate with traders across supply networks, and address amazonian hotspots with targeted supporting programs. Action on changes in practice must be measurable, with clear milestones and independent verification to prevent regressions. Carrefour’s experience shows that with transparent data, a cautious but proactive stance can shift agriculture toward zero-deforestation and sustain growing protein demand in europe.

Spain-focused transparency for soy sourcing: achieving group-wide visibility

Implement a centralized Spain-wide registry for soy sourcing that links direct suppliers to a single analytics layer, delivering group-wide visibility within 60 days and scalable for grain and other crops.

• Define a common data model across all suppliers, with fields such as origin country, region, farm_id, lot_code, harvest_year, crops, grain, soy_type, forest_status, deforestation_risk, certifications, and signed commitments; ensure data is available in writing and accessible to the company’s Spain team and global governance bodies.
• Deploy a cloud registry that accepts direct data feeds from suppliers and tier-2 partners, provides dashboards for well-structured decisions, and offers API access for ongoing audits; target 90% data coverage from signed contracts within the first 12 months, with progress reviewed monthly.
• Establish risk thresholds tied to forest integrity and supply security; trigger escalation if amazonian forest risk exceeds set levels, and outline remedial steps such as supplier diversification or shift to lower-risk origins.
• Engage regulators and industry authorities, including cade and relevant France-based frameworks, to ensure alignment with deforestation disclosure rules and group-wide expectations; document the agreement in writing and reflect it in supplier contracts.
• Support supplier onboarding through the dreyfus program, offering training and audits to improve data quality and reporting discipline; this would accelerate progress and reduce the time to meet milestones.
• Drive commitments with chinas and other non-Spain-based suppliers by clarifying direct data sharing, traceability requirements, and consequence paths if data gaps persist; use which mechanisms work best to ensure consistent reporting.
• Highlight opportunities to shift from high-risk Brazilian sources to verified, deforestation-free supply lines while preserving grain quality and yield; map brazilian origins to amazonian and non-amazonian zones to refine sourcing strategy.
• Integrate farm-to-supply chain data so company teams can verify origin at the field, verify with CADE or French authorities when needed, and demonstrate robust forest-risk controls in annual reporting.
• Establish clear milestones: by quarter tail, reach 40% of suppliers with complete records; by year two, exceed 95% coverage; publish progress indicators publicly to reinforce transparency and stakeholder trust; there would be tangible benefits for the company, which would improve supplier relationships and market opportunities.
• Offer concrete writing and signing processes for supplier commitments, ensuring there is a documented agreement that binds suppliers to transparent disclosures and continuous improvement; this aligns with france-based buyers and global peers who seek responsible sourcing practices.

There are challenges, including data quality gaps and supplier capacity constraints; however, a phased roll-out with clear commitments, cross-border governance, and dedicated support reduces risk and creates tangible opportunities to strengthen resilience across the Spain-focused operation while meeting broader EU expectations.

Maintaining Brazil’s soy deforestation ban: enforcement, audits, and reporting

Impose mandatory, independent audits of all soy supply chains within 12 months, with public dashboards and remediation timelines. Tie licenses and market access to verifiable compliance, and impose penalties for firms that cannot prove origin or that clear land. Audits must cross-check satellite imagery, farm records, and trader disclosures to confirm crops do not originate from cleared areas and to quantify emissions. This approach sets a clear, enforceable baseline for the industry and signals that the globe expects accountability.

Enforcement should pair audits with penalties: license suspensions for firms caught repeatedly failing to trace crops to origin, and swift action against non-compliant chains. Integrate monitoring tools and field verifications; ensure that cleared lands are excluded from supply. international buyers and lenders can leverage their networks to push tighter standards, with france-based traders and the louis network playing a coordinating role. This driving force aligns buyers and firms toward sustained compliance. Particularly, cattle feed links to soy demand require tighter checks across farms and traders.

Reporting and transparency should publish supply chain maps; require annual third-party audits; create a public risk register. france participates through france-based firms, and international partners can compare data to benchmark progress. Brazilian leadership represents a global standard, and the subject of deforestation policy links farms, traders, and retailers. Authorities should aggregate data into a Brazilian-led public database, accessible to investors, NGOs, and subject stakeholders. The framework ensures monitoring and flags high-risk zones when lands are cleared, enabling timely remediation.

Challenges remain across the globe: data gaps in frontier regions, informal supply chains, and limited audit capacity. To address these, authorities should fund regional audit hubs, standardize data formats, and foster cross-border cooperation with international partners. louis and france-based firms can contribute technical support and independent auditors, expanding coverage and accelerating risk reduction across chains and firms.

Performance metrics should include the share of soy with clear provenance, the percent of suppliers audited, time to remediation, and the number of suspensions. Most improvements come from tying trader licensing to compliance, with significant leverage from international buyers and finance actors. brazilian officials should publish quarterly results to demonstrate progress; this represents a credible, transparent system that protects ecosystems while supporting the industry. With ongoing monitoring, enforcement, and reporting, the deforestation ban remains credible in the eyes of the globe and the public. That action ensures lasting protection for brazilian landscapes and the industry alike, and thats why swift, sustained funding is essential.

UK and EU firm coordination: advocacy and policy alignment with Brazil

Coordinate immediately by forming a joint UK-EU Brazil policy task force to align advocacy with Brazil’s deforestation ban, publishing a common implementation roadmap for 2026–2028 and a private-sector advisory panel including sainsburys and other major retailers.

Policy alignment will bind public rules to private practices along the soy-driven supply chain, with clear targets for deforestation-free sourcing in cattle feed and crop inputs. The initiative prioritizes practical changes that large players can trigger in their procurement, while keeping smallholders included where feasible.

Tariffs should be used judiciously and aligned with risk-based private sector incentives, not as punitive tools. Where possible, tie tariff signals to measurable milestones in supplier performance, and rely on private agreements to accelerate changes that reduce deforestation risk across the chain.

The coordination should center on concrete actions: enforcement of the ban, due diligence, and credible traceability. When Brazil strengthens enforcement, UK and EU buyers gain leverage to push for rapid implementation across the most exposed farms, including cattle operations. The coalition also aims to limit fires of misinformation by issuing a shared, fact-based briefings schedule.

In practice, the EU and UK can harmonize policy through shared risk assessments, a common supplier registry, and joint verification processes. This reduces duplication and speeds changes in the soy-driven supply chain, including sainsburys private-label suppliers, while ensuring the approach covers the full chain from farm to shelf.

Metrics and governance: publish quarterly updates on deforestation indicators linked to soy, track implementation in major soybean and cattle suppliers, and report on module-level progress. The system should empower business colleagues to verify progress and maintain accountability, with regular feedback from civil society and independent auditors.

The Road to Belém: policy trajectory and implications for traders

Mandate due diligence now for all soy used in EU markets, including private-label lines, and set a clear, phased implementation with credible penalties for non-compliance.

• Policy trajectory: 2025–2026 enhanced due diligence and traceability to origin; 2026 deforestation-free status becomes mandatory for soy in EU purchases; 2027 independent verification and suspension of non-compliant suppliers; 2028 alignment with international standards and Brazilian enforcement. There remains a need to monitor policy signals across major markets, including shifts linked to changes in US policy under trump.
• Implementation focus: Focus on consumption patterns in the industry; map supply from Brazil’s soy belt, require land-cleared status, use satellite data and field audits, publish a deforestation-free list, and apply rules first to high-risk suppliers, then to all players.
• Practical steps for traders: Build partnerships with retailers like sainsburys to lock in deforestation-free commitments; require supplier codes of conduct; institute third-party verification; ensure the majority of shipments meet deforestation-free criteria; develop private-label programs with transparent origin data; invest in farmer-support programs to help producers transition.
• Risks and opportunities: There remain opportunities to engage international partners to diversify supply and finance sustainable farming; a deforestation-free supply chain strengthens consumption credibility and opens access to international markets; there is ongoing value in establishing a credible.source network and sharing lessons across the industry.

источник: международные данные и регуляторные требования по цепочке поставок сельхозпродукции, доступные для анализа.

Recommended Reading: key reports and analyses on deforestation policy

Read the latest policy briefs and data dashboards highlighted here to ground your approach for deforestation policy affecting EU traders tied to Brazil soy. The focus is on actionable metrics and focused implications for platform managers and buyers, showing what is possible with coordinated monitoring.

Platform and chain insights show how policy design shapes compliance across the whole supply chain, from farm to shelf, with transparent reporting on sales, sourcing, and shipments at ports. These signals represent a practical path where better data and governance reduce gaps around traceability and risk management.

cade analyses offer practical notes on monitoring, verification, and risk scoring, and they underline how data from field sensors, satellite checks, and trader records aligns with platform reporting. They also examine chinas involvement in global soy markets and how that affects EU policy interpretations, around the subject of supplier accountability.

Where to focus your reading: policies that define clear due diligence standards, monitoring approaches scalable for large trading companies, and case studies showing how commitments by farmers translate into on-the-ground actions. Look for graphs on compliance rates, examples of real-world monitoring programs, and assessments of tariff impacts on trading flows, and note where governments and industry are aligning their policies with this effort.

Use these readings to reaffirm last-mile commitments with suppliers, align your platform dashboards with cade data, and build a focused, whole-chain view that supports procurement decisions, risk management, and stakeholder engagement with farmers, companies, and authorities. The subject of these reports remains deforestation policy and how it shapes trading, tariffs, and supplier accountability, representing a clear path for industry action.