Four of the largest cattle companies in the world (Marfrig, Bertin, JBS-Friboi and Minerva) are joining forces to ban the purchase of cattle from areas of cleared rainforest in Brazil. Between them, the cattle companies dominate the world's export markets for beef, and supply many companies that sell their goods in the UK.
The move follows the three-year Greenpeace Slaughtering the Amazon campaign that exposed the link between forest destruction and the expansion of cattle ranching in the Amazon.
The report that launched the campaign showed that cattle ranching is the single biggest driver of deforestation in the Amazon and that four-fifths of the areas that have been deforested now have cattle on them. The investigation prompted calls for action from key international companies, including food group Princes and footwear manufacturers Clarkes, Adidas, Nike, and Timberland, which threatened to cancel contracts unless their beef and leather products were guaranteed free from raw materials linked to Amazon destruction.
For more information see here or read coverage in the Guardian.
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