Leadership of several parties agreed on Tuesday (14), in reopening the discussion on changes in environmental law. The discussion on these subjects was confirmed in a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Reinhold Stephanes, in the Chamber. The meeting was proposed by Deputy Mendes Ribeiro Filho, 1st Vice-leader by the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB)of the Rio Grande do Sul.

The parliamentarians started the discussion on the zero deforestation in biomes such as the Amazon, the Atlantic Forest and Pantanal. We just have to find mechanisms that allow the farmer to take care of environmental liabilities – such as problems in the compliance with permanent preservation areas in the rivers shores banks or hillslopes.

Stephanes remembered that, the way the environmental law is applied nowadays, 3 million of about 5 million producers in Brazil violate some rule.

Exception
Deputy Sarney Filho (MA), leader of the Green Party (PV), said that the opening of the discussion cannot represent any exception in the Forestry Code (4.771/65 Law).

“We cannot indicate that we are changing the law to allow the deforestation. Yes, we can change the laws, but in order to improve them. I wouldn’t like to think about discussing the Forestry Code again, but, yes, its application. After all, nowadays, the matter is the application; the laws are not brand new, but the civil society is more aware of everything now”, he said.

Cerrado
A sore point in the discussion is the opening of new areas for the agroindustry. The agreement on zero deforestation does not include the Cerrado, as Stephanes informed.

“Some areas must be extended. Of course, in the future, these areas will have to be incorporated according to the rules and also preserving the riparian forests”, the minister said.

Reporting - Ana Raquel Macedo/Rádio Câmara
Edition - João Pitella Junior
Translation – Grupo Solucion/Maria Carolina Marcelino Ogata