Trump Administration Celebrates Earth Day by Slamming Unfair Trade Practices That Harm the Environment, Producers

The United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) Office took to social media to celebrate Earth Day, but with a twist. In honor of Earth Day, the Trump administration outlined a list of 10 “unfair trade practices that harm the environment and undercut U.S. producers and exporters.” Of the 10 items on the list, two directly mentioned agriculture.

The No. 1 issue, according to USTR, is deforestation in Brazil. The Trade Representative’s office says deforestation in Brazil reached a 15-year high in 2021, which was driven by “weak environmental regulations and lax law enforcement.” They went on to say that due to those issues, Brazilian ranchers were given an unfair advantage in agricultural production.

“In 2024, the U.S. had an agricultural trade deficit with Brazil of $7 billion. Brazil is a major competitor with the U.S. in soybeans, corn, meat, poultry and other agricultural products,” the official United States Trade Representative’s posted on X on Tuesday.

To fully understand the issue, you must first understand just how massive the forest area is in Brazil.

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world with a surface of 850 million hectares. That’s twice as big as the European Union. And nearly two-thirds of that is occupied by forest.

Deforestation has been a long-standing issue within Brazil. In fact, the Brazilian Amazon has the highest rate of deforestation of the planet. The ecosystem, which is known as one of the richest on Earth, is massive. A study based on satellite images by the National Institute for Space Research of Brazil (INPE) found a total loss of 72 million hectares since 1970, or 17% of its total area.

Deforestation Fuels Growth in Brazil’s Beef Production
Deforestation in Brazil is directly tied to agricultural production, really impacting commodities like beef and soybeans.

For beef production, ground zero for deforestation is in the Amazon and Cerrado regions. Cattle ranching is known as a major driver of deforestation, with ranchers often clearing new land for pasture as existing pastures become less productive, leading to a cycle of forest conversion.

(World Resources Institute )

According to the World Resources Institute, cattle replaced nearly twice as much forest as all other commodities combined. The Institute analyzed seven commodities total, finding cattle pasture now occupies 45.1 million hectares (Mha) of land deforested between 2001 and 2015, accounting for 36% of all tree cover loss associated with agriculture during the time period.

Oil palm ranks second (10.5 Mha), followed by soy (8.2 Mha). The number has only grown since then.

The Role of Deforestation in Brazil’s Growing Soybean Production
When it comes to soy production, deforestation in regions like the Mato Grosso state are linked to deforestation as land is cleared for soy plantations, according to the World Resources Institute.

But it’s not just deforestation leading to the explosion in growth of soybean acres in Brazil. Based on geospatial databases, a recent study led by Embrapa found approximately 70 million acres of planted pastures in Brazil with intermediate and severe levels of degradation that have the potential for conversion into cropland. Pasture degradation is caused by overgrazing, insufficient weed and pest control, and lack of soil fertilization and occurs in practically all regions of Brazil.

The report by Embrapa also found a conversion of 70 million acres of degraded pasture to cropland would represent nearly a 35% increase in Brazil’s total planted area compared with the 2023/2024 crop season projection by the National Supply Company (Conab) – Brazil’s agency for food supply and statistics.

According to University of Illinois farmdoc daily, in Mato Grosso, which is Brazil’s largest agricultural state, the planted area could increase by 25% compared to the 2023/2024 season by converting degraded pastureland into cropland. Currently, soybeans and corn occupy more than 90% of the crop-planted area in Mato Grosso in the double-cropping system.

Additionally, in the Center-West states, the potential for agricultural expansion is notably higher in Mato Grosso do Sul and Goiás, reaching 69% and 67%, respectively, compared to the acreage in the current crop season.
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#7 Environmental Issue on the List: Mexico’s Avacados
The U.S. is the top destination for Mexico’s avocado exports. USTR says in 2023, those exports were valued at $2.7 billion, and some of that production was harvested on illegally deforested lands.

“Some Mexican avocado producers have expanded avocado production to illegally deforested lands, threatening biodiversity and disrupting local ecosystems, including the forest habitat of monarch butterflies,” USTR said on “X.”

Fair Trade USA Serves Up Solutions
It’s a known issue within the produce industry. According to Farm Journal’s The Packer, Fair Trade USA is offering solutions to producers and retailers seeking ways to improve environmental and human rights conditions in the avocado sector.

The Packer reports an estimated one-third of all avocado farms in Mexico are reported to be illegal farms, and up to 70,000 acres in Michoacán and neighboring state of Jalisco have been deforested for avocado farming in the last decade, the release said. Fair Trade USA said water reservoirs are being illegally emptied to support farming, and farmers who speak out against deforestation and working conditions are often at risk.

The organization said western demand for avocados has grown exponentially over the last decade, and people and the planet are paying the price. Forced to keep pace with what farmers call the “avocado gold rush,” negative environmental impacts are rampant in many avocado farming regions — for communities as well as production.

“Fair Trade USA exists to partner with farms, workers, retailers and brands to create safe and fair working conditions and protect the environment,” said Felipe Arango, who was serving as interim CEO for Fair Trade USA. “Strong standards are needed to better the avocado industry, and we are excited to partner with producers to certify more farms and improve the lives of farmers.”

Avocado Institute of Mexico Rolls Out “Path to Sustainability” Plan
The Avocado Institute of Mexico announced their “Path to Sustainability” last week. The plan includes dealing with deforestation. The summary of the plan includes:

• Collaboration with governmental authorities to achieve net-zero deforestation by 2035.
• The Avocado Landscape Restoration and Reforestation Project, which has planted more than 3.6 million pine trees in the Avocado Landscape.

“We are dedicated to protecting, managing, conserving and restoring forests in the Avocado Landscape to achieve net-zero deforestation,” the Avocado Institute of Mexico said.

Pro-Forest Avocado Program
There’s also another program to help wean Mexican avocado growers off the need to produce avocados on illegally deforested land. According to Grist, there’s a Pro-Forest Avocado program, which is a Mexican initiative to certify sustainably grown avocados. An estimated 10% of avocado packing houses that send avocados to the United States have signed on to the Pro-Forest Avocado program. However, it has roadblocks to increasing participation.

According to Grist, the first is that growers must pay for the certification, while packagers get it for free. This has made many growers feel like they have to comply with standards and pay for them to offload produce at all. There’s a lot of distrust among producers of the government as well.

For this program, qualifying growers must have had no deforestation since 2018, no forest fires since 2012 and not operate on protected land.

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