Supreme Court Validates Moratória da Soja

Overview

• The Supreme Federal Court ruled on Wednesday to validate the Moratória da Soja, a 20‑year voluntary pact that bars purchases of soy grown on Amazon land deforested after July 22, 2008.
• The decision blocks Mato Grosso and Rondônia laws that removed tax incentives and public‑land benefits from companies that join the moratorium and was led by Minister Flávio Dino.
• The plenary vote also ordered the archiving of parallel administrative cases at the national antitrust agency Cade that had challenged the pact’s validity and sought indemnities.
• National and international competition reviews remain active because Cade opened an investigation into whether the private pact and trader‑run digital platforms restrict competition and the BRICS report urged scrutiny of trader concentration and platform data control.
• The ruling preserves a private tool used to reduce deforestation while leaving open broader questions about how concentrated traders, platform surveillance of crops and subnational economic policy will shape market access for producers and buyers.