{"id":38976,"date":"2023-06-02T12:55:15","date_gmt":"2023-06-02T15:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.raisg.org\/radar\/more-than-800m-amazon-trees-felled-in-six-years-to-meet-beef-demand\/"},"modified":"2023-06-02T12:55:15","modified_gmt":"2023-06-02T15:55:15","slug":"more-than-800m-amazon-trees-felled-in-six-years-to-meet-beef-demand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raisg.org\/pt-br\/radar\/more-than-800m-amazon-trees-felled-in-six-years-to-meet-beef-demand\/","title":{"rendered":"More than 800m Amazon trees felled in six years to meet beef demand"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE GUARDIAN
\nAndrew Wasley<\/a>
\n2 de junio, 2023<\/p>\n

Investigation involving Guardian shows systematic and vast forest loss linked to cattle farming in Brazil<\/p>\n

More than 800m trees have been cut down in the\u00a0Amazon rainforest<\/a>\u00a0in just six years to feed the world\u2019s appetite for Brazilian beef, according to a new investigation, despite dire warnings about the forest\u2019s importance in fighting the climate crisis.<\/p>\n

A data-driven investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), the Guardian, Rep\u00f3rter Brasil and Forbidden Stories shows systematic and vast forest loss linked to cattle farming.<\/p>\n

The beef industry in\u00a0Brazil<\/a>\u00a0has consistently pledged to avoid farms linked to deforestation. However, the data suggests that 1.7m hectares (4.2m acres) of the Amazon was destroyed near meat plants exporting beef around the world.<\/p>\n

The investigation is part of Forbidden Stories\u2019 Bruno and Dom project. It continues the work of Bruno Pereira, an Indigenous peoples expert, and Dom Phillips, a journalist who was a longtime contributor to the Guardian\u200b\u200b. The two men were\u00a0killed in the Amazon<\/a>\u00a0last year.<\/p>\n

Deforestation across Brazil soared between 2019 and 2022 under the then president, Jair Bolsonaro, with cattle ranching being the number one cause. The new administration of Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva has promised to curb the destruction.<\/p>\n

\"Burning
Burning forest in L\u00e1brea, Amazonas state in August 2020.<\/span>\u00a0Photograph: Christian Braga\/Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Researchers at the AidEnvironment consultancy used satellite imagery, livestock movement records and other data to calculate estimated forest loss over six years, between 2017 and 2022 on thousands of ranches near more than 20 slaughterhouses. All the meat plants were owned by Brazil\u2019s big three beef operators and exporters \u2013 JBS, Marfrig and Minerv\u200ba.<\/p>\n

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To find the farms that were most likely to have supplied each slaughterhouse, the researchers looked at \u201cbuying zones\u201d; areas based on transport connections and other factors, including verification using interviews with plant representatives. All the meat plants exported widely, including to the EU, the UK and China, the world\u2019s biggest buyer of Brazilian beef.<\/p>\n

The research focused on slaughterhouses in the states of Mato Grosso, Par\u00e1 and Rond\u00f4nia, important frontiers of deforestation associated with ranching. It is likely the overall figure for deforestation on farms supplying JBS, Marfrig and Minerva is higher, because they run other plants elsewhere in the Amazon.<\/p>\n

All three companies say they operate strict compliance procedures, in an open and honest manner, to ensure they are meeting their sustainable goals.<\/p>\n

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Nestl\u00e9 and the German meat company T\u00f6nnies, which had supplied Lidl and Aldi, were among those to have apparently bought meat from the plants featured in the study. Dozens of wholesale buyers in various EU countries, some of which supply the catering businesses that serve schools and hospitals, also appeared in the list of buyers.<\/p>\n

Nestl\u00e9 said two of the meatpackers were not currently part of its supply chain, and added: \u201cWe may scrutinise business relationships with our suppliers who are unwilling or unable to address gaps in compliance with our standards.\u201d<\/p>\n

T\u00f6nnies said: \u201cThese Brazilian companies process many thousands of animals per year for export,\u201d and claimed it was unclear whether the company was the recipient of products from plants linked to deforestation. Lidl and Aldi said they stopped selling Brazilian beef in 2021 and 2022 respectively.<\/p>\n