Minister Carlos Fávaro submits letter to the European Union in bilateral meeting

During a bilateral meeting between Brazil’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Fávaro, and the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Janusz Wojciechowski, a formal letter was submitted, requesting that the European Union suspend its Anti-Deforestation Law and reconsider its punitive approach towards producers who comply with existing legislation. 

This action took place alongside the G20 Agriculture Working Group (AWG) meetings on Wednesday evening (11th) in Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso. The primary focus of the G20 AWG is sustainability in agricultural production. The letter was simultaneously delivered to the relevant EU authorities in Brussels. 

Brazil’s Forest Code, in effect since 2012, is considered one of the most stringent environmental protection laws in the world. With the return of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's administration, combating deforestation has been established as a key policy priority. In December 2023, the Brazilian government launched the National Program for the Conversion of Degraded Pastures into Sustainable Agricultural and Forestry Production Systems (PNCPD), which aims to curb agricultural expansion into untouched areas. 

“It’s clear that climate change has arrived, and on a scale beyond our expectations. The path that brought us here won’t be the one that leads us forward. We need to change the way we produce,” said the minister. 

Brazil has approximately 40 million hectares of low-productivity pastureland suitable for agriculture, which could almost double the country’s food production area over the next decade through the PNCPD. 

“With this, we can meet the commitment to zero deforestation by 2030. But we need the European Union’s support to continue this program,” Fávaro stated during the bilateral meeting. 

 According to the EU’s proposal, starting in late 2024, Brazilian producers of soy, beef (and leather), wood, rubber, coffee, cocoa, and palm oil who wish to export to EU countries will need to comply with complex verification procedures to prove their production adheres to Brazilian law and does not come from deforested areas, whether legal or illegal. 

A key topic of the bilateral meeting was the recognition of farmers and the future of production, directly tied to Brazil’s request for a review of these measures. The complexity of the actions required by the EU would make exports unviable, especially penalizing small and medium-sized producers. 

The core discussion at the G20 AWG’s ministerial meeting is food security amid the rising global population and the urgent need for production systems to adapt to climate change. Measures aligned with existing laws can help contribute to the EU’s supply chain, with Brazil standing out as a major producer and exporter of various food products. 


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