BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM
In a major environmental crackdown, Brazil’s IBAMA fined meat packers and cattle ranchers $64 million for rearing or purchasing livestock on unlawfully deforested Amazon property. This effort seeks to reduce one of the primary causes of Amazon deforestation: cattle ranching, which accounts for 90 percent of cleared forest land converted into pastures.
IBAMA’s recent “Cold Meat 2” operation entailed following cattle raised throughout around 100 square kilometers of protected Amazon rainforest. The research uncovered 69 estates that sold a total of 18,000 cattle produced on unlawfully cleared land, as well as 23 meat-packing enterprises that bought livestock from prohibited zones in Amazonas and Para states.
“We are inspecting the production chain to hold offenders accountable for acquiring products from deforestation and to ensure that crime does not pay,” stated Jair Schmitt, IBAMA’s chief of environmental protection. IBAMA agents also seized 8,854 cattle discovered illegally grazing in protected areas.
Deforestation in the Amazon and its relation to cattle ranching
Cattle ranching has destroyed a substantial portion of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. Since 1985, 227,800 square miles—an area somewhat larger than France—have been deforested, mostly to make pastureland. Given the Amazon’s critical role in global climate control, this land conversion, which is responsible for 14 percent of the Brazilian Amazon now serving as grazing pastures, poses a severe environmental hazard.
In response, environmental groups and certain industrial participants have attempted to mitigate the impact. Several meat packers, notably JBS, the world’s largest meat processing company, agreed in 2013 not to buy cattle from sites banned for environmental infractions. However, enforcement has proven difficult, particularly with indirect suppliers—ranchers who sell cattle to intermediaries, who then sell to huge meat packers. In order to address these challenges, over a dozen large agricultural companies, including JBS, have promised to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains by 2025.
Mixed industry responses: denials and defenses
JBS has replied by refuting claims that it purchased animals from prohibited locations. The company responded that “None of the JBS purchases indicated by IBAMA were made from embargoed areas,” and highlighted its Responsible Procurement Policy, which includes a geographic monitoring system. According to JBS, this system tries to avoid purchases from farms that engage in illegal deforestation or encroachment on protected Indigenous lands and conservation areas.
Nonetheless, the corporation received a $108,000 fine, the fifth-largest penalty, for reportedly acquiring 1,231 cows from banned zones. Agropam, doing business as Frizam in Boca do Acre, received the highest penalties of $493,000 for acquiring 5,624 cattle bred on embargoed territory. Unlike JBS, Frizam promotes its beef primarily within Brazil, demonstrating that the environmental impact of cattle ranching extends beyond exports to the domestic market.
A broader picture: the complex challenge of enforcement
While IBAMA’s operation is a huge step forward, combating Amazon deforestation on a global scale will necessitate sustained, coordinated efforts. Illegally removed land is not only used for cattle ranching but also for timber sales and soy cultivation, complicating regulatory control.
Despite assurances from business executives, enforcement is spotty. “Cold Meat 2” emphasizes IBAMA’s commitment to enforcing current environmental rules, although the Amazon’s vast, sometimes inaccessible pasturelands provide significant hurdles to fully tracking and managing deforestation.
Looking ahead, stronger monitoring technologies, harsher punishments, and continued public pressure may be critical in holding Brazil’s meat sector accountable. Schmitt stated that the goal is to create a future in which “crime does not pay,” with the ultimate goal of conserving one of the world’s most important ecosystems.
