Summary
Lagoa do Triunfo is Brazilian land protected from illegal deforestation and cattle grazing by an embargo issued by Brazil’s government environment agency, Ibama. This article exposes how ArgoSB, a JBS meat supplier, was using the land to meet the international demand for meat. ArgoSB and JBS have been fined millions (USD); ArgoSB for deforestation of embargoed land, and JBS for buying cattle from suppliers illegally using lands. After being fined in 2017, JBS pledged to stop working with illegal suppliers. A 2018 audit showed that 99.9% of the cattle JBS purchased met industry standards and rules; however, the same audit noted JBS did not check indirect sellers. The article closes with mapping reports found by Trace, an independent supply-chain transparency initiative, that illustrate the hectares of Amazon forest being destroyed for pasture to support cattle farming that supplies the global demand for beef.