Please join us on August 08 to raise awareness of the worst deforestation on record this past May 2019. The Brazilian government in conjunction with animal feed companies is turning the Amazon rainforests into meat burgers. Global blogposts will take place with protests in over 100 cities. Please wear black and stand with us in silence for raising awareness.

Background

Mighty Earth, a Washington DC group, released a report called “Still At It” which points to large-scale forest-clearing by Bolivian and Brazilian farmers who trade soybeans with Cargill. Mighty Earth used satellite imaging and supply-chain mapping information from the Stockholm Environment Institute, an environmental think tank, to identify deforestation in Brazil where two American-based food giants, Cargill and Bunge, are the only known agricultural traders. The group used drones to record the clearing of forests and savannas in areas where Cargill operates silos.

The report, said McDonald’s had expressed a “desire for collective joint action with its suppliers” about the problem.

The company had not provided information about its supply chain but “publicly available data shows that it is Cargill’s biggest customer in Europe”, the report added.

…In February, The New York Times spoke to local farmers in Bolivia in the areas covered by the first Mighty report and was told by ones who had cleared forest areas that they had sold soy to Cargill. While Cargill is hardly well known, it is the largest private firm in the US in terms of revenue.

The Mighty Earth report in February used satellite images, drones and mapping information to find evidence of significant deforestation in areas of Brazil and Bolivia where Cargill and another major company, Bunge, buy from farmers.

References

Deforestation in Amazon surges to a record high, The Guardian, [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/04/deforestation-of-brazilian-amazon-surges-to-record-high-bolsonaro]

We must not barter the Amazon rainforest for burgers and steaks, The Guardian, [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/commentisfree/2019/jul/02/barter-amazon-rainforest-burgers-steaks-brazil]

Mighty Earth, Still at it, available at [http://www.mightyearth.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/StillAtIt.pdf]

The new York Times has a great expose here:

A few months ago, a representative from Cargill traveled to this remote colony in Bolivia’s eastern lowlands in the southernmost reaches of the vast Amazon River basin with an enticing offer. The American agricultural giant wanted to buy soybeans from the Mennonite residents, descendants of European peasants who had been carving settlements out of the thick forest for more than 40 years. The company would finance a local warehouse and weighing station so farmers could sell their produce directly to Cargill on-site, the man said, according to local residents."

Full article

The Independent :

“Despite the positive past steps McDonald’s has taken, everything we know about their suppliers suggests they’re still chock full of deforestation.”

Full article

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