Dow Jones Newswires' Kenneth Rapoza reports from Brazil:

Amid mounting criticism that Brazil's ethanol industry is felling forests to grow sugar for fuel, the industry is fighting back to save its reputation.

Last week, Unica, Brazil's ethanol lobby, organized a trip intended to improve its image with reporters, mostly Europeans but including yours truly too.

Brazil wants Europe to become a major importer of Brazilian ethanol. But Stavros Dimas, the European Union's environment commissioner, wants guarantees from Brazil that the ethanol it sells to the EU isn't hurting the Amazon or Brazilian workers.

Unica's counterattacks began in January, after Bloomberg TV ran "Deadly Brew - The Human Toll of Ethanol," which showcased the miserable conditions many cane cutters work under. Unica president Marcos Jank said the report was based on "isolated cases."