October 1, 2009
Brazil to seize cattle from Amazon
Brazil's environmental protection agency IBAMA will remove 100,000 cattle from the Amazon to eliminate illegal cattle ranching in the region's rainforests.
IBAMA said its latest operation will be organised on the border of the states of Mato Grosso and Para.
The agency said it has already seized 900 cattle from the area and has issued US$51 million in fines to ranchers that are illegally razing trees to raise cattle.
Brazil has stepped up efforts to curb cattle ranching in the Amazon after a Greenpeace report identified that the Brazilian beef industry is the biggest contributor to the region's deforestation.
A number of Brazil's leading beef companies, including JBS, Marfrig and Bertin, have agreed to discontinue sourcing from ranchers in the Amazon.
