Regulating blocked cattle suppliers is possible

One of the main innovations of the Protocol for Monitoring Cattle Suppliers in the Amazon is to clarify the technical rules that outline the criteria of the Meat TAC (Terms of Adjustment of Conduct) signed by the Amazon-based meatpacking industry along with the Public Prosecutor's Office. As such, 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. Therefore, understanding the process better can provide a New Year with more marketable suppliers.

Criteria 

The main criterion adopted in the Meat TAC for the blocking of a cattle supplier is the occurrence of illegal deforestation within the producing property. The source of the deforestation data is the Prodes database developed by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communication (MCTIC). The data is calculated in polygons using satellite images. A farm is blocked when more than 6.25 hectares of land of a farm overlaps the Prodes polygon.

The supplier and the farm can resolve the situation by remedying the damage that caused the block. For a supplier farm to be able to sell again, the producer must sign a commitment with the Public Prosecutor’s Office or the relevant environmental agency agreeing not to use the area for productive purposes and bearing the costs inherent to the regulating processes, as well as overseeing the damage recovery.

For cases of blocks put in place due to deforestation and invasion of Conservation Units, the main elements are the geospatial analysis and the recovery of environmental damage, which must be proven yearly. In general, the work consists of recovering the native vegetation.  This geomonitoring can be conducted by a specialised company or, when applicable, by the buying meatpacker if it has specialised technicians.

Regulation

Besides deforestation, a farm may be blocked for lacking the proper documentation, such as the environmental license, Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and Animal Transport Guide (GTA) or for being included in public lists of slave labour. These issues must be resolved before the supplier can be unblocked.