Will Our Beef Addiction Destroy the Amazon?

The Amazonian cattle industry is the main driver of deforestation on Earth, according to Greenpeace. Brazil raises the most cattle and exports the most beef of any country, and is also fourth on the list of greenhouse gas emitters. A beef industry based on denuding the world of virgin rainforest is as far from sustainable as we can get.

Notable news then, pointed out by fellow blogger Mike Gaworecki, writing from a Greenpeace ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean: the New York Times reports that four major meat producers have agreed to refrain from purchasing cattle from parts of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest where trees have been newly cleared for grazing.

At a conference this week organized by Greenpeace, the four companies — Bertin, JBS-Friboi, Marfrig and Minerva — signed on to help Greenpeace’s efforts to end deforestation. The four companies party to the agreement will institute a registration system for the ranchers that supply their cattle and will find ways to avoid procuring cattle raised on indigenous and protected lands or produced using slave labor.

The move came in response to a report released by Greenpeace in June called “Slaughtering the Amazon,” which draws a clear connection between deforestation and the growth of the Amazonian cattle ranching industry. The report is having wide-ranging impact; massive multinationals such as McDonald’s and Wal-Mart are also demanding that producers ensure that their supply chains are not damaging the Amazon.

Of course if beef producers are going to change their practices, red meat might well become more expensive. I would argue that’s a good thing. Ever since I’ve started blogging here, the idea that we need to learn to go lighter on the meat keeps coming up again and again. Perhaps the only thing that will propel us in that direction is a pinch in our pocketbooks.

Photo courtesy of Ivan Mlinaric on flickr