Cerrado gets its own protocol
Despite the commitment of the largest Brazilian beef processing companies to preserve the Cerrado region, they have not been able to see eye-to-eye about how to effectively monitor cattle suppliers in the biome. The study Comparative analysis in the beef value chain: benchmarking to build the Voluntary Protocol for Monitoring Cattle Suppliers in the Cerrado (PVMFGC), developed by Proforest and Imaflora, under the Project - Responsible Demand, by the Good Growth Partnership, made possible with funds from the Global Environment Fund (GEF) through the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), offers criteria, scopes and specifics of the main initiatives that drive deforestation and conversion-free chain practices in the Cerrado biome, and supports the establishment of the criteria base for the first version of the Voluntary Protocol for Monitoring Cattle Suppliers in the Cerrado (PVMFGC).
"The study involved mapping to identify what the requirements of society are and what companies are doing to build the PVMFGC", explained Cecilia Korber from Imaflora, one of the authors of the study. Imaflora's project coordinator, Lisandro Inakake de Souza, Proforest's project manager Pedro Zanetti, Carlos Eduardo Rigolo Lopes from Imaflora, and Cristiana Martin, Olab's consultant, also took part in the study.
The criteria and parameters used by three platforms, six public commitments, two beef chain benchmarks, two market benchmarks and the public commitment of 13 companies were analysed. The main aspects of the documents were the types of deforestation, tracking systems and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Platforms:
Forest 500
Trase
Supply Change
Public Commitments:
Term of Adjustment of Conduct (TAC), established by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Legal Amazon
SOS Cerrado Manifesto
New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF)
Amsterdam Declaration
Chinese Sustainable Meat Declaration
Austrian Market Declaration
Benchmarks:
Accountability Framework (AFi)
Collaboration for Forests and Agriculture (CFA) Operational Guidance
Corporate commitments:
JBS
Marfrig
Minerva
Plena Alimentos
McDonald's
Mars
Tyson Foods
Parker-Migliorini International
GPA
Carrefour
BIG Group
Walmart
Tesco
Beef on Track Program records history in book
From Commitment to Action: the track of responsible beef in the Brazilian Amazon. This book creates a time line of the commitments adopted by the cattle-ranching chain since the end of the 2010s
Institutions establish cooperation to ensure legality and sustainability of cattle ranching in Pará
Partnership between the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Amigos da Terra and Imaflora aims to create a committee to enforce and expand the commitments of this productive chain.
Regulating blocked cattle suppliers is possible
The meatpackers can monitor their cattle suppliers more consistently while also helping them to continue qualified to supply, especially with regard to the regulations and liabilities of farms that have been blocked.