800m trees felled Vast forest loss linked to cattle farming

More than 800m trees have been cut down in the Amazon rainforest in six years to feed the world's appetite for Brazilian beef, according to a new investigation, despite dire warnings about the forest's importance in fighting the climate crisis.

- Andrew Wasley, Elisângela Mendonça, Youssr Youssef and Robert Soutar

The investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), the Guardian, Repórter Brasil and Forbidden Stories shows vast forest loss linked to cattle farming.

Brazil's beef industry has consistently pledged to avoid farms linked to deforestation. However, the data suggests that 1.7m hectares of the Amazon was destroyed near meat plants exporting beef. Deforestation across Brazil soared between 2019 and 2022 under the then president, Jair Bolsonaro, with cattle ranching being the No1 cause. The new administration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has promised to curb the destruction.

Researchers at the Aid Environment consultancy used satellite imagery, livestock movement records and other data to calculate estimated forest loss between 2017 and 2022 on thousands of ranches near more than 20 slaughterhouses owned by Brazil's big three beef operators - JBS, Marfrig and Minerva.

All the meat plants exported widely, including to the EU, the UK and China, the world's biggest buyer of Brazilian beef. The research focused on slaughterhouses in the states of Mato Grosso, Pará and Rondônia.