UK supermarkets could still be buying meat linked to deforestation in Brazil, report suggests

theguardian.com:

Supermarkets and retailers have been asked to end relationships with soya traders who allegedly continue to buy soya from suppliers contributing to deforestation in Brazil.

It comes as an investigation by campaign group Mighty Earth alleges that suppliers selling to leading soya traders have deforested at least 27,000 hectares (67,000 acres) across 10 farms in the Cerrado region of Brazil since August 2020.

Some of the traders supply the UK, so soya harvested from this land could end up in meat supply chains for major supermarkets and retailers via animal feed given to farm animals.

This is despite a previous agreement in principle from retailers to end buying meat connected to the destruction of natural ecosystems – such as the Brazilian Cerrado – that occurred after August 2020.

With large swathes of land under threat from the production of soya, supermarket chains have been asked to take action and end longstanding relationships with soya traders who buy from firms responsible for the destruction.

The Brazilian Cerrado is known for its plant and animal biodiversity and has been described as the “biologically richest savannah in the world” by the World Wide Fund for Nature. It is home to approximately 12,000 plant species, as well as 850 species of bird – 30 of which are endemic to the region.

Campaigners say the majority (77%) of the world’s soya beans are used for feeding animals, including pigs and poultry.

The report said: “Supermarkets should … set up effective, fully transparent and cross-ecosystem soy monitoring and traceability systems for the Cerrado, Brazil and beyond.

“Although this analysis focuses primarily on the Cerrado savannah, a series of other reports show that the supermarkets also face significant risk of