Brazil Cracks Down on Illegal Cattle Operations

Brazil’s environmental authorities seized around 7,000 illegal head of cattle in the Amazon and issued fines to several ranchers and slaughterhouses.

Brazil Cattle
Brazil Cattle
(Farm Journal)

Brazil’s environmental authorities seized around 7,000 illegal head of cattle in the Amazon and issued fines to several ranchers and slaughterhouses, including JBS NV, reports Bloomberg. Nearly a quarter of Brazil’s beef exports to the U.S. come from slaughterhouses located next to areas where illegal deforestation is rampant, according to the Earthsight environmental group.Raising cattle is the main driver of deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon, along with opening roads. Between 1985 and 2023, an area slightly larger than France has been converted into pasture, said the Bloomberg report. Currently, 13 Amazon-based slaughterhouses have approval to export to the U.S. Five of them are located in Rondonia state, where lawmakers passed legislation that regularized hundreds of cattle ranchers who had converted a protected conservation area into pasture for more than 200,000 head of cattle.

Read more from Pro Farmer.

AgWeb-Logo crop
Related Stories
The May Farm Journal Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor reveals growing concern over farm profitability, rising debt costs and long-term financial stress, with economists saying many operations may need significant restructuring to remain viable.
Both classes of winter wheat ended limit up on the day as USDA shocked the market with their aggressive production cuts in the May WASDE putting the crop at a 54 year low, according to Arlan Suderman, StoneX.
Vince Boddicker with Farmers Trading Company, says grain markets rallied on Monday adding risk premium on the war headlines but also positioning ahead of the May WASDE and China summit.
Read Next
Some of the easier entry points for corn and soybean farmers looking to capture higher returns can deliver $200 or more per acre.
Get News Daily
Get Market Alerts
Get News & Markets App