Brazil: Existing cattle companies’ zero-deforestation commitments have reduced Amazon deforestation by 15%
"EU bill and new green policies spur progress on Brazil’s cattle tracking", 21 September 2023
...In March 2023, the Brazilian Bank Federation (FEBRABAN) approved new rules for releasing credit to meatpackers and slaughterhouses in Amazonian states. Banks that adhere to the protocol must require their clients to comply with measures to combat deforestation. Among the requirements is implementing a traceability and monitoring system that will make it possible to demonstrate, by December 2025, that the cattle bought are not associated with illegal deforestation. The measure doesn’t apply only to direct suppliers but also to indirect — the leading promoters of deforestation...
...In June 2023, the Brazilian Association of Beef Exporters (ABIEC) adhered to the program with stricter socioenvironmental criteria for cattle purchase. The meat industry expects to conduct an in-depth check of the cattle it buys in the Amazon...
Of the 39 beef companies associated with ABIEC, 16 have already signed the protocol, including the country’s three largest meatpackers — JBS, Minerva and Marfrig. According to Imaflora, the goal is to have all 39 companies in the agreement within two years, guaranteeing the beef’s lawful origin on 98% of Brazilian exports...
The European bill to ban imports of deforestation-linked commodities and other movements against illegal deforestation even made the powerful Brazilian Agriculture and Livestock Confederation (CNA) recognize the problem and propose a traceability model to the federal government.
In May 2023, the leading agribusiness representative proposed to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply the creation of a free public platform for individual cattle traceability. According to the proposal, cattle producers could join voluntarily within eight years — an extended deadline in the face of the climate emergency. Another questionable point is that there would be no guarantee the platform’s data would be made transparently to facilitate inspection...
...Minerva Foods said it had launched an app to monitor indirect suppliers, giving farmers the possibility to consult information about their chain. The company said there was an opportunity to improve animal traceability from source through GTAs, which should be publicly accessible. According to the company, complete traceability of the meat chain went beyond industry initiatives and required the involvement of the government, livestock farmers, retailers and civil society.
...JBS wrote to Mongabay that it had been monitoring its more than 70,000 direct suppliers for almost 15 years, having blocked 12,000 farms for non-compliance with the company’s socio-environmental standards. The company said that after 2026, only suppliers registered on its traceability platform would be able to trade with the company, including indirect suppliers...