EU-MERCOSUR pact would further stimulate environmental destruction – Greenpeace calls for strong forest protection law
Vienna (OTS) – A recent Greenpeace study reveals that beef, which is linked to the destruction of the Brazilian Pantanal, is sold in the EU. As part of the study, Greenpeace observed and analyzed the activities of 15 farmers in the Pantanal, a wetland three times the size of Austria, over many months. Each of them can be linked to the fires of 2020 that destroyed 30 percent of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage. On the case study sites alone, the fires destroyed 73,053 hectares of the Pantanal area within four months – that’s around twice the area of Vienna. The farms are suppliers to 14 meat processing plants owned by the largest Brazilian meat producers JBS, Marfrig and Minerva, as well as a live animal export station owned by Minerva. All three major companies act worldwide. Their customers include fast food chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King as well as companies such as Nestlé. The Greenpeace study shows that between January 1, 2019 and October 31, 2020, meat processing companies together exported more than half a million tonnes of beef and beef products – eight percent of this to the EU-27 and the UK, and thus potentially also to Austria. The environmental protection organization demands an efficient and strong forest protection law from the EU Commission, which prevents products from the destruction of nature on the EU market.
“The meat industry doesn’t shy away from anything. The world’s largest wetland, the Pantanal, is on fire for dumping meat from Brazil. The areas destroyed from the 15 Greenpeace case studies alone are roughly twice the size of Vienna. People in Europe and therefore also in Austria cannot know whether ecosystems have been destroyed for their burger or steak ”, says Natalie Lehner, agricultural expert at Greenpeace in Austria. 1,200 vertebrate species cavort in the Pantanal wetland, many of which are on the red list, such as jaguars, giant otters and tapirs. But this valuable ecosystem has been threatened for many years and is being destroyed by fires. In 2020 the fires reached a sad climax, so that 30 percent of the natural area has now been destroyed. The majority of the fires in 2020 were man-made. The suspicion is that in many cases ranchers intentionally set fires in order to acquire pastureland.
There is no improvement in sight, on the contrary: The EU-MERCOSUR trade pact is intended to further stimulate the import of meat from South America and thus also the destruction of the environment. The trade pact provides for an increase in the import quota of cheap beef from the current 200,000 tons by a further 99,000 tons per year. Studies warn that the agreement will accelerate forest destruction in South America, for example through rising beef exports by five percent. That would be fatal for the climate and for the valuable ecosystems of South America. “The EU must finally put a stop to products that have been destroyed by nature. Instead of a devastating EU-MERCOSUR pact that would further drive the destruction of ecosystems like the Pantanal, we need a strong forest protection law, ”says Lehner.
The Greenpeace report “Making mincemeat of the Pantanal” can be found at: http://www.greenpeace.org/pantanalmincemeat
Images can be found at: https://bit.ly/3qUoUT3
The photo material is available free of charge for editorial use provided the credits (@Leandro Cagiano / Greenpeace) are given.
Inquiries & contact:
Natalie Lehner
Agricultural expert
Greenpeace CEE in Austria
Tel: +43 (0)664 461 50 19
Email: natalie.lehner@greenpeace.org
Réka Tercza
Press officer
Greenpeace CEE in Austria
Tel.: + 43 (0)664 85 74 59 8
E-Mail: reka.tercza@greenpeace.org
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