There were 128 active slaughterhouses in the Brazilian Amazon in 2016, when Imazon collected data to estimate the beef buying zones. The research team gathered information on the maximum distances from which each slaughterhouse could feasibly source cattle through phone interviews with staff or taking averages based on meat plants nearby or similar factories in the same state.
They then modelled this data against local factors, such as roads, navigable rivers and seasonal weather patterns, to estimate the maximum potential buying zone for each slaughterhouse.
Using methods designed by the non-profit sustainability project Chain Reaction Research, the Bureau mapped Nasa fire alerts archive data onto Imazons buying zones.
Fires were also found on at least three farms known to sell cattle directly to JBS slaughterhouses. Working with Reprter Brasil, the Bureau found at least one of these slaughterhouses exports beef and leather globally.
Our findings illustrate that fires and deforestation continue to take place in JBSs supply chain, despite the companys policies and commitments, said Marco Tulio Garcia, who led the research at Chain Reaction. It is of the highest urgency that JBS addresses these issues.
There is no evidence that these fires were started on or by farms supplying JBS, but the very existence of a patchwork of ranches in the rainforest could be helping to exacerbate the overall effect of fires started elsewhere. The whole local climate is drier because youre getting less evaporation from the trees, said Yavinder Malhi, professor of ecosystem science at Oxford University.
Over the summer, global attention was focused on the fires in the worlds largest and most biodiverse rainforest. Data released in August by both Nasa and the Brazilian satellite agency INPE showed 2019 had been the most active fire year for the Brazilian Amazon in nearly a decade. There were three times as many fires that month compared with the same month last year, according to INPE.
Experts say the increase in fires was directly caused by an increase in deforestation: the intentional burning of trees that had been felled months before, rather than random wildfires. Once you clear forest to make a ranch, you have lots of dead materials lying around and then the farmers wait until the dry season to burn off that material, said Professor Malhi.
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon dropped drastically in the mid-2000s, but data released in November showed it increased by 30% in the year to July 2019. The countrys pro-agribusiness, climate-sceptic president, Jair Bolsonaro, took office in January 2019.
In July the European Commission published a communication on deforestation to address the fact that the EU consumption of food and feed products is among the main drivers of environmental impacts, creating high pressure on forests in non-EU countries and accelerating deforestation.
The commission pledged, among other things, to assess the need for regulation to increase supply chain transparency and minimise the risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with commodity imports in the EU.
The Austrian government recently blocked the Mercosur deal over concerns about the Amazon fires crisis as well as the potential damage to Austrias farming sector and the French and Irish governments have also threatened to do the same.
The Irish government told the Bureau it was commissioning an external assessment of the deals possible impacts on the environment and Irelands economy, which will inform whether it votes to ratify the agreement next year.
In the UK, the Liberal Democrats recently announced plans for a legal duty of care on British businesses, stopping them from buying from overseas companies causing environmental harm, including forest destruction. If British companies buy their beef and continue to support this industry, they are not meeting their duty of care and the government must take action, said Wera Hobhouse, the party spokesperson on climate change and the environment.
Read the rest here:
Record number of fires rage around Amazon farms that supply the world's biggest butchers - The Bureau of Investigative Journalism
- Why was that large land parcel cleared along southbound I-5 near Olympia? Heres the answer - The Olympian - September 29th, 2024 [September 29th, 2024]
- 13 Outdoor Upgrades That Will Instantly Increase Home Value - AOL - September 7th, 2024 [September 7th, 2024]
- Thousands of hectares of koala habitat are cleared every year, including for renewable energy projects - ABC News - September 7th, 2024 [September 7th, 2024]
- Opinion: Lets get the real story on vegetation management - Beef Central - September 7th, 2024 [September 7th, 2024]
- An average 100 million native animals killed or injured each year from land clearing, mostly for beef farms - RenewEconomy - August 4th, 2024 [August 4th, 2024]
- Resident faces colossal fine after clearing national park land for illegal building construction: 'This sends a strong and ... - The Cool Down - May 27th, 2024 [May 27th, 2024]
- EPA and NOAA identify problems with Port of Albany wind energy site - Riverkeeper - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Police look into alleged land-clearing smoke in crash - The Star Online - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Jacksonville to Benefit from ARPA Funds Sent to Two Rivers Land Bank - WLDS-WEAI News - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Wu announces forestry division to preserve and expand tree canopy in Boston - The Boston Globe - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Rising homelessness is tearing California cities apart - POLITICO - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- In bid to win trust of project proponents, Maharashtra govt to lift stay on 183 industrial plots allotted - Free Press Journal - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- 'Dreadful' tip being cleared after business complains of rats and flytipping - Liverpool Echo - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Genshin Impact A Prayer for Rain on the Fecund Land quest guide - Gamepur - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Clearing sale to stop temptation to work - Otago Daily Times - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Environmental Assessment Bulletin - News Releases - Government of Newfoundland and Labrador - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Preserve the island | Letters to the Editor | stateportpilot.com - State Port Pilot - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Tree That Outlasted the Dinosaurs 145 Million Years Now Endangered - Nature World News - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Reps panel probes Ministry of Agriculture over N18.6bn allegedly spent on bush clearing, land preparation, others - Premium Times - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- City of Vicksburg places liens on 17 properties - The Vicksburg Post - Vicksburg Post - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Land Grab: Why Baltimore kept desperately cutting deals with a developer who didn't deliver - The Real News Network - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Protesters have close call with heavy machinery at Dartmouth work site - CBC.ca - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- 'There are going to be a lot of unhappy people:' Louisville subdivision pushes against concrete plant - WHAS11.com - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Elgin chapter of the Izaak Walton League 'adopts' city's Central Park for national group's 100th anniversary - Chicago Tribune - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- What the Historic U.S. Climate Bill Gets Right and Gets Wrong - Council on Foreign Relations - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Selangor govt looking to acquire land at Bukit Tabur foothills to protect world's largest pure quartz dyke - The Star Online - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- SCRD issuing bylaw infraction tickets daily - Coast Reporter - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Don't let your diversification ambitions be thwarted by an agricultural land restriction - Gazette & Herald - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Dangerous 'fake' land on Doncaster river won't be cleared due to cost issues - Doncaster Free Press - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- From fire to floods to fire: London Fire Brigade warning as more dry weather due - Evening Standard - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Wetland area coming to FDR Park - South Philly Review - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Big banks CBA, NAB, Westpac, ANZ and Macquarie in push to disclose the impact of lending on nature - The Australian Financial Review - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Coast Guard helping to clean up oil spill in Tabbs Bay near Baytown - KTRK-TV - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Tahoe Summit explores highs, lows of progress on the lake - Tahoe Daily Tribune - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Alaska wildland fire crews ready for action, with state funding to reduce hazardous fuels - Alaska Public Media News - May 15th, 2022 [May 15th, 2022]
- Clearing landmines from Ukraine may take decades; Work to find, map, and remove them has already begun - Ukraine - ReliefWeb - May 15th, 2022 [May 15th, 2022]
- Pasture replaces large tract of intact primary forest in Brazilian protected area - Mongabay.com - May 15th, 2022 [May 15th, 2022]
- Sunday sees rain with the return of drier conditions to start the work week. - FOX 13 Seattle - May 15th, 2022 [May 15th, 2022]
- Minister backs Western Port woodland clearance to expand sand mine - Sydney Morning Herald - May 15th, 2022 [May 15th, 2022]
- The Alarmist Vireo - Bay Weekly - May 15th, 2022 [May 15th, 2022]
- Save Nambucca River Groups Meets For May News Of The Area - News Of The Area - May 15th, 2022 [May 15th, 2022]
- Swapping 20% of Beef with Meat Substitute Could Halve Deforestation: Study - EARTH.ORG - May 15th, 2022 [May 15th, 2022]
- 'Incredibly historic': Winners of 2022 Archibald Prizes announced - Honi Soit - May 15th, 2022 [May 15th, 2022]
- Disconnect: Climate change and the Australian election - Pursuit - May 15th, 2022 [May 15th, 2022]
- Gallup's Quarry was so polluted the EPA took over. Here's how much it pays Plainfield now. - Norwich Bulletin - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Buffer ordinance in hands of Sussex council - CapeGazette.com - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Sundance Doc The Territory Shines Light On Alarming Deforestation Of Protected Land In Brazils Rainforest: Its A Nightmare - Deadline - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- The FAA says some 777s are cleared to fly to airports with 5G C-band - The Verge - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- The Tallest Known Tree in New York Falls in the Forest - The New Yorker - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Dredgers spotted off Cambodian base where China is funding work -U.S. think tank - Reuters - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Mystery person who cleared Munlochy Clootie Well didn't have permission from land owners - Press and Journal - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Ashtabula County Land Bank Executive Director leaving organization tomorrow - The Star Beacon - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- New businesses making their way to Chattahoochee County - WRBL - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Fog and stagnant air quality continue to drive the forecast through mid-week. - Q13 FOX (Seattle) - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Proposed TBM bylaw to impose restrictions on urban tree removal from private properties - CollingwoodToday.ca - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Calls for clean-up to remove plastic waste piling up on the Wessel Islands, off Arnhem Land - ABC News - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Snow and ice removal from vehicles targeted in five states - Land Line Media - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Efforts to restore a neglected Charlotte cemetery prove it's neither gone nor forgotten - WFAE - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Port Of LA Teams Up With Dairy Industry To Address Supply Chain Disruptions - NBC Southern California - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Rekindling connections in the small flame of a qulliq - High Country News - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Environmentalists angered by management of Rocky Hill - About Regional - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Former Bucs Tony Dungy and Shaun King Lead the Army of Head-Scratchers Over the Bucs' Fatal Blitz - Sportscasting - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Wilcox County Students recognized for work in the community - 41 NBC News - December 28th, 2021 [December 28th, 2021]
- Permits now required in Douglas County for riprapping, clearing and grading projects - Echo Press - December 28th, 2021 [December 28th, 2021]
- What the Forest Remembers, by Jennifer Egan - The New Yorker - December 28th, 2021 [December 28th, 2021]
- Advocates Want the EPA to Force Portland to Clean Up a Key Stretch of the Willamette River - Willamette Week - December 28th, 2021 [December 28th, 2021]
- Sidewalks and subdivisions: The final part of our SW Hamilton series - BikePortland.org - December 28th, 2021 [December 28th, 2021]
- Ghana loses 3% of its total revenue to fire outbreaks - GNFS - GhanaWeb - December 28th, 2021 [December 28th, 2021]
- Country diary: A tiny island on a loch perfect for a solstice overnight camp - The Guardian - December 28th, 2021 [December 28th, 2021]
- When It Comes to Air Assault, Ukraine Could Give Russia a Run for Its Money - The National Interest - December 28th, 2021 [December 28th, 2021]
- Saints expected to start QB Ian Book vs. Dolphins as Taysom Hill, Trevor Siemian land on reserve/COVID-19 list - The Athletic - December 28th, 2021 [December 28th, 2021]
- Global maps of cropland extent and change show accelerated cropland expansion in the twenty-first century - Nature.com - December 28th, 2021 [December 28th, 2021]
- The moments that defined the Middle East in 2021 - TRT World - December 28th, 2021 [December 28th, 2021]
- The Asteroid That Killed the Dinosaurs Created the Amazon Rain Forest - Scientific American - April 5th, 2021 [April 5th, 2021]
- UNIFIL deminers persevere with clearing south Lebanese land of deadly mines | UNIFIL - UNIFIL - April 5th, 2021 [April 5th, 2021]
- Landfill size, tipping rate increasing over coming fiscal year - Maryville Daily Times - April 5th, 2021 [April 5th, 2021]
- Here's how Bally Sports' takeover of Fox Sports Southwest affects Spurs fans - mySA - April 5th, 2021 [April 5th, 2021]
- Nonprofit Harmony Lanes brings inclusive transportation to High Country - The Appalachian Online - April 5th, 2021 [April 5th, 2021]
- With the Suez Canal Unblocked, the Worlds Commerce Resumes Its Course - The New York Times - April 5th, 2021 [April 5th, 2021]
- New section of SH 249 opens | Navasota Examiner - The Navasota Examiner - April 5th, 2021 [April 5th, 2021]