An 84-strong group, including salmon producers, feed producers, retailers and other seafood companies, has sent and open letter to the Brazilian government urging for the continuation of a moratorium on Amazon soy.

This comes after a campaign by Brazilian farmers to end a ban by trading firms on buying soybeans from parts of the Amazon rainforest cleared after 2008, was revealed in a Reuters report last month.

Signatories include nearly half of the global salmon farming sector: Grieg Seafood, Cermaq, Leroy, Mowi, Bremnes Seashore, Nordlaks, Nova Sea, Multiexport Foods, Scottish Sea Farms as well as feed producer Biomar.

Retailers signed up to the letter include Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Marks and Spencer, Waitrose, Morrisons, Aldi as well as Picard Surgeles in France, and French multinational Carrefour.

They are joined by Lyons Seafood, Hilton Food Group and Iceland Seafood Barraclough among others.

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Click here to download the letter and the full list of companies that signed (PDF)

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“Our position is clear: We want to be able to continue to source from, or invest in, the Brazilian soy industry but if the ASM is not maintained, this will risk our business with Brazilian soy,” the group said issued through a statement received from Grieg Seafood.

Two noticeable names missing from the list are feed giants Skretting and Cargill, who have been contacted by IntraFish for comment, but have not given a response as of the publication of the story.

Amazon's threat

The number of wildfires ravaging Brazil's rainforest has doubled this year while environmental protections have been cut back, leading to international condemnation of Brazil's government, led by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

Facing pressure from all sides Bolsonaro earlier blamed NGOs for starting the fires.

But in a strange turn in recent days, the former army captain has without evidence said Hollywood A-list star Leonardo DiCaprio, a staunch supporter of the Amazon rainforest, is behind the fires.

Mowi, the world's biggest salmon producer earlier threatened to stop buying Brazilian soy for its fish farms unless the South American country curbs Amazon deforestation.

In September Salmon Group, which represents Norway's small and medium-sized producers, said Friday it would immediately discontinue the use of Brazilian soy in its feed.

This came as the group conducted a review of all feed ingredients in an effort to make feed more sustainable.