JBS is the largest meat company on Earth, which already has a huge environmental impact. Many climate-conscious consumers are aware of the negative environmental consequences of meat, especially beef, but on top of the emissions created during meat production, JBS has been linked to the deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest, which stores over 150 billion tons of carbon (Bryce). Brazil exports more beef than any other country, and over 40% of its 200 million cows live in the Amazon. 

 One of the ways cow farmers have attempted to cover their tracks is through “cattle laundering,” which involves raising animals on deforested land then moving them to another area once they’re ready to sell. JBS makes no effort to address this, recording only the final step in the supply chain where they get their meat, encouraging laundering activity. However, cattle laundering isn’t even necessary for some ranchers cutting down the Amazon, as in one part of the rainforest, it is completely legal to “clear 80 percent of the trees on [one’s] land.” 

JBS claims that it will eliminate “deforestation by direct suppliers by 2030 and from its indirect suppliers by 2035,” but considering their messy track record with environmental commitments, this is less than likely.

In addition to ravaging the biggest rainforest on Earth, beef production is also responsible for critical labor conditions, including human enslavement. Repórter Brasil’s investigation on slavery in various food industries founds that about one third “of the 55,000 workers who had been released by government inspectors from slave conditions since 1995” worked with cows.

Repórter Brasil, an nonprofit dedicated to exposing injustices of Brazilian supply chains, recently released information about human rights violations committed by some of Starbucks’ coffee sources, which is being used in a lawsuit against the company in the US. To investigate the hidden horrors of the meat industry, Repórter Brasil hired individuals from various countries to record tracking numbers on meat sold in stores, then used public data provided by Brazil’s transparency legislation and information on reports of environmental and labor violations to find where the meat came from. This was possible through help from local people and unions, which provided the organization to essential information such as truck routes and individuals to interview. Around 18,000 people are estimated to have been enslaved for the Brazilian cattle industry since 1995. Repórter Brasil then contacted every step of the supply chain to inform them on their discoveries, resulting in some European supermarkets pulling JBS beef from their shelves. However, this sentiment was not shared in Brazil or the US, reflecting the need for consumers to pressure companies into prioritizing the impacts of their business. If people do not demand change, companies will continue to exploit people and the planet.

This information definitely makes lab grown meat sound better, at least to me! It’s hard to believe that we have normalized the consumption of a product that causes deforestation, slavery, and immense carbon emissions. It’s easy to get lost in all of the products and habits we’re surrounded with, because the widespread persistence of issues like these desensitize us to them. There’s a reason to avoid everything, but that doesn’t mean the reasons are equal. The way that beef is currently produced is unacceptable, and whether we demand change or avoid it entirely, something has to happen. Ignoring issues like these is deplorable.

I know I talk about beef a lot, but I find it absurd that others don’t discuss it more. I understand that people get uncomfortable when they realize that something they do, and enjoy doing, is wrong. People will either accept this type of information and change accordingly, get defensive, or ignore it entirely. So it makes these conversations difficult, but I think they are so crucial. I didn’t know about any of the impacts of beef until I started this website, which required time, interest, and research. It shouldn’t be that hard to access such crucial information.

Hope you learned something from this article, and if so, stay tuned to learn with me!

https://e360.yale.edu/features/marcel-gomes-interview

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-is-the-amazon-so-important-for-climate-change1/

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/scientific-american/ – Scientific American is known for a “high” factual reporting.