Brazil Cracks Down on Meat Companies for Buying Cattle from Illegal Deforested Land

In a surprising move, Brazil's environmental agency has slapped fines totaling $64 million on 23 meatpacking companies. The fines are for buying and selling cattle that were raised on deforested land in the Amazon, an area where raising cattle is a major cause of deforestation. Over 18, 000 cattle were tracked in a 100 square mile area that is off-limits due to illegal deforestation, and thousands more were found in restricted areas. Cattle ranching is a big deal in the Amazon. Around 90% of the area cleared between 1985 and 2023 was turned into pastureland, which is about the size of France. This means that 14% of the Amazon is now covered by grazing land. It's no secret that cattle raising drives deforestation, and the environmental agency is determined to make sure that companies aren't profiting from it. JBS, the world's largest meat-packing company, was among those fined. They're facing a $108, 000 fine for buying over a thousand head of cattle. This isn't the first time JBS has been in hot water for buying cattle from illegal areas. The company has been accused of buying cattle from a protected area called Jaci-Parana in the past. Agropam, another meatpacker, received the largest fine of $493, 000 for buying over 5, 000 head of cattle from illegal areas. Other companies like Mafrico, Frigol, and 163 Beef were also targeted. The operation that led to these fines was called Cold Meat 2 and was the result of three months of investigation. The goal is to hold companies accountable and make sure that buying cattle from deforested areas doesn't pay off.