EN 
PT_BR The Federal Court in Brasília overturned this Monday (25) the decision of the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Cade) that suspended the Soy Moratorium, the agreement that prohibits the purchase of soybeans grown in deforested areas of the Amazon.
Photo: Roberto Zito
The decision was handed down by Judge Adverci Rates Mendes de Abreu of the 20th Federal Court, following a suspension request filed by the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (Abiove). The association argued that Cade failed to consider technical and legal opinions and interfered in the country's environmental policy.
In ordering the suspension, the judge found that CADE's decision was not evaluated by the council's collegiate body and did not "expressly consider" opinions from the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF), the Attorney General's Office (AGU), and the Ministry of the Environment. "The Soy Moratorium, in effect since 2006, is voluntary in nature, comprises several public and private entities, and has been recognized as an instrument for fostering sustainable development. In summary judgment, its immediate dismantling by means of a single-judge decision, without any collegial debate and without concretely addressing the technical arguments presented in the original proceeding, seems disproportionate and premature," the judge ruled.
Last week, socio-environmental organizations expressed concern about the increase in deforestation following Cade's decision.
