There may be a new President in Brazil, but Amazon rainforest destruction still hit an all-time high last month! And it will only get worse if we don't act fast. [1]
The cause? Greedy agribusiness is still cutting and burning down the rainforest for soy and cattle farming. And to make matters worse, the European Commission and big corporate lobbyists are now conspiring to revive the disastrous EU-Mercosur trade agreement with Brazil and three other countries. [2]
If the deal goes through, Europe will get a fresh supply of beef, soy and wood at lower prices while corporate greed continues to destroy the Amazon. And what do the Mercosur countries get in return? Toxic pesticides that are so dangerous that agribusiness isn’t even allowed to sell them in the EU. It's a terrible deal for the rainforest, indigenous communities, and the planet. [3]
But there's an opportunity for us to stop it! A small group of EU countries and the members of the European Parliament (MEPs) could still block the deal. And leaders from France, the Netherlands, and Austria have already said they won't sign the agreement in its current form. [4]
We’re already at over 500,000 signatures, and with the support of big new partners, we could reach 1 million and create a media sensation! That could fuel a major revolt of EU countries and MEPs at critical negotiations in the coming weeks.
**On 23 March 2023, we amended the text of this petition because the Brazilian government has changed and the new president, Lula da Silva, took new commitments regarding the fight against the climate crisis.
**WeMove Europe is collecting signatures for this petition together with the organisation SumOfUs. Other organisations, including Campact, Greenpeace and Foodwatch, are running their own campaigns with similar demands. Together there are more than one and a half million of us and we are still growing.
