March 27, 2013
Brazil's supermarkets to stop stocking Amazon beef
Beef from cattle raised in the Amazon rainforest will no longer be sold by members of the Brazilian Association of Supermarkets.
The main objective of an agreement signed Monday (Mar 25) by the Brazilian Association of Supermarkets is to reject meat from regions that are being deforested or from ranches that use slave labour or carry out other illegal practices, prosecutors said.
"We hope that the big chains will quickly take action" in the form of certification and control of their suppliers, Public Prosecutor Daniel Azeredo told AFP.
The Brazilian Association of Supermarkets signed the accord with the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office.
The biggest cause of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is the country's livestock industry, which consists of more than 200 million head of cattle.
