OUT OF THE FIRE AND INTO THE FRYING PAN Previous exposés by Greenpeace186 and other NGOs have brought attention to the role of industrial beef production in the destruction of the Amazon and the need to ensure full visibility of cattle supply chains beyond direct suppliers
WHAT IS AN EMBARGO?
within that biome. However, significant destruction of other frontiers – including the
IBAMA publishes a list of farms that have
Cerrado and the Pantanal – continues, with
breached environmental legislation such as
little public awareness and free from the supply
Brazil’s Forest Code – eg by carrying out
chain monitoring/policy commitments of the
illegal deforestation – and that are prohibited
main meat processors. This lack of oversight
(embargoed) from producing in a specified
breeds lack of accountability for the wider
area of their landholding (which may comprise
impacts of the sector.
the whole farm or only part of it) until they
The purpose of the analysis presented in this
regularise their situation, for example through
report is to shine a spotlight on the destruction
payment of a fine and land restoration.
of the Pantanal. The first step was to identify biome in 2020, which officials in Brazil agree were
WHAT IS A PROPERTY REGISTRATION IRREGULARITY?
almost universally of human origin.187 The next was
A criterion of Brazil’s Forest Code is that rural
to investigate whether cattle from the affected
producers must register the boundaries of their
properties or others owned by the same ranchers
properties with the environment agency to aid it in
have historically entered the supply chains of
its monitoring and enforcement of environmental
Brazil’s largest beef processors, which trade
regulations. Irregularities in this registration –
internationally and supply numerous well-known
notably its suspension or cancellation – signal
consumer goods and fast food companies.
problems such as overlap with protected areas,
ranchers linked to the fires that devastated the
Indigenous lands or other registrations. An irregularity is indicated by a registration status of ‘pending’, ‘suspended’ or ‘cancelled’ in the federal (CAR website ‘Consultar demonstrativo do CAR’) or state (Secretário de Estado de Meio Ambiente de Mato Grosso website ‘SIMCAR portal público’) land registry.
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