Commodity-trading giant Cargill recently signaled that it will weaken its no-deforestation commitments in the Amazon Rainforest, an investigation by Repórter Brasil has revealed.

In its latest sustainability report, released in December 2024, Cargill changed how it measures deforestation in its soy supply chain. It had initially committed to following the guidelines of the Amazon Soy Moratorium, a voluntary industry initiative that bans the trade in soy grown on land that was deforested after 2008.

But now Cargill has established 2020 as the cutoff year. That’s the same year set by the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR): When it goes into effect at the end of 2025, the EUDR will prohibit the imports into the EU of products grown on land deforested since 2020.

This shift allows Cargill, the largest exporter of grains out of Brazil, to claim that 99.3% of its soy is “deforestation-free.” Under the 2008 cutoff, this proportion would have been 94%...

In an emailed statement to Mongabay, the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries, Abiove, an industry association of which Cargill is a member, said, “Abiove and its member companies are strong supporters of the Soy Moratorium and its undeniable positive legacy.” …