Brazil farmer lobby asks to lift soybean ban from deforested Amazon rainforest

By Roberto Samora

SAO PAULO, Dec 11 (Reuters) - 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.

Soybean farmer lobby Aprosoja-MT based in western Mato Grosso state said on Wednesday that the agreement fostered "a purchasing cartel" while harming farmers who strictly comply with the South American nation's forest code.

The group said in a statement that it formally asked antitrust watchdog CADE to end the deal.

Brazil is the world's largest soybean grower and exporter, with Mato Grosso the country's top-producing state.

Global commodity giants including ADM ADM.N and Bunge BG.N voluntarily signed up for the "Amazon soy moratorium" in the mid-2000s, pledging to stop buying soy from farms in the rainforest that were deforested from 2008.

Under forestry rules, Amazon landowners can clear up to 20% of their property. But an early 2000s deforestation surge sparked calls for action by companies that feared a wider ban.

Scientists and conservationists have praised the moratorium for slowing deforestation in the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest and a bulwark against climate change since its trees absorb vast amounts of climate-warming greenhouse gases.

Aprosoja-MT noted it filed a complaint to CADE after years of failed negotiation attempts, adding that the moratorium generated 20 billion reais ($3.3 billion) in losses for the state.

CADE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Earlier this year, Mato Grosso state lawmakers passed a law stripping tax breaks from firms adhering to the moratorium.

"Our commitment is with the families who have been harmed for almost 20 years," Aprosoja said in a separate statement.

Last week, environmentalists accused grain traders of seeking to weaken the moratorium.

Trader lobby Abiove has said it was holding discussions on the moratorium, but without going into further detail.

Asked for comment on Wednesday, Abiove said it had no update.

($1 = 6.0195 reais)

(Reporting by Roberto Samora in Sao Paulo; Writing by Andre Romani; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Matthew Lewis)

((Andre.Romani@thomsonreuters.com; 11 991314109;11 56447500;))