The responsibility borne by agriculture (including the beef sector) on the Amazon’s deforestation is much higher than in other parts of the world, reaching 56% in 2020 whereas agriculture is generally responsible for 40% of deforestation.Ĭonsidering that agriculture-driven deforestation is permanent (whereas lands that suffer from deforestation caused by fires may regenerate), this adds a sense of urgency for the EU to uphold its sustainable agenda. In Brazil alone, which hosts the largest part of the Amazon, over half of the deforestation came from pasture in the last twenty years. Whilst hot spots of deforestation vary by sector, the beef industry related deforestation is highly concentrated in the Amazon, which is home to millions of species. For the surviving wild animals, many are displaced and will generally suffer from starvation and social disruption. With the increase in wildfires, animals -wildlife, but also pets - are suffering and many do not manage to escape. Deforestation is also a source of many welfare-related concerns. 80% of terrestrial species live in forests, and the world is currently undergoing the sixth great mass extinction of species, which is mainly due to agriculture, according to Global Forest Watch’s report. The findings by Global Forest Watch are deeply alarming, as rampant deforestation has clear impacts on wildlife and their habitats and can lead to the extinction of species that only exist in one specific region.
Therefore, the role played by the meat industry in global deforestation largely exceeds the role played by the beef sector itself. Soy is widely produced to serve as animal feed, notably in the poultry (37%) and pigs sectors (20%). Soy also ranks second in the study, as it is responsible for the destruction of 8.2 million hectares of forests between 20. The huge responsibility borne by the beef industry is due to the conversion of forests into cattle pasture, which amounted to 45.1 Millions hectares of lands deforested between 20 – a rate that is five times higher than for any other analysed products. Overall, beef is responsible for 36% of all agriculture-linked forest-replacement. Agriculture is the top source of worldwide deforestation (40%), and among the top commodity-drivers of deforestation, beef holds the first place. According to a research by Global Forest Watch, the total loss of tropical forest increased by 12% overall between 20.
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