Why eating meat contributes to deforestation in Latin America

camillesteemer (12)in #food • 6 years ago

Why eating meat contributes to deforestation in Latin America

Deforestation in Argentina (Gran Chico) © Mighty Earth

The NGO Mighty Earth in association with Rainforest Foundation Norway and Fern highlighted in a report titled "When soybeans come to our table", the disastrous consequences of growing soybeans in Latin America, itself the demand to feed the livestock particularly French.

It's no secret that most French people like to eat well. And in particular meat and everything that comes from animal breeding (dairy products, cheeses, etc.). On average, a Frenchman eats about 89 kg of meat a year, more than 240 g a day : that's the equivalent of more than 6 slices of ham! This represents, for our country, the slaughter of 1.1 billion animals a year (between 60 to 130 billion worldwide).

But here, livestock farming requires resources such as water and food. Nowadays, the main diet of farm animals is soy. For example, it is estimated that 75% of soybean production in the world is for animal feed .

Soybean is grown in Latin America and mainly in the Gran Chaco region. This region spanning Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay is one of the most biodiverse in the South American continent. Unfortunately, the more soybeans grow, the more people in this region see the entire previously well-preserved ecosystem go up in smoke.

Massive deforestation

As the report points out, a farmer from Chaco in Argentina, the herbicides sprayed in her area have contaminated the population, the animals and the food planted until then by the inhabitants. The cultivation of soy is a real slaughter for the flora and fauna of Argentina.

Today, more than one million km² of land is dedicated to this crop; which is equivalent to almost twice the size of France. To reach this area, the Gran Chaco region is savagely decimated by fires and bulldozing.

The situation is most alarming because the rate of deforestation of Gran Chaco is equal to or even greater than that which occurs in the tropical forests. Indeed, we learn in the report published on the Mighty Earth site that more than 8 million hectares of forest were slaughtered in just a dozen years .

The Chaco also has a very rich biodiversity with characteristic species of the region such as armadillos. However, with the wild clearing of their land, these animals are now threatened.

The Humboldt University of Berlin estimates that in the next 10 to 25 years, if the pace of these deforestation does not abate, "more than half of the birds and 30% of all mammals recorded today in the Chaco will be gone. "

Attacks on health and human rights violations: the population is also severely affected

Massive deforestation, damage to health and human rights violations, here are the sad consequences of this aggressive monoculture intended to feed the beasts in France which will themselves land on our plates.

To be able to support the difficult climate of the territory, the soya harvested on the grounds of Gran Chaco is genetically modified . Pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and other poisons are spilled and sprayed on the fields and have the effect of polluting streams and cause respiratory diseases, cancer or birth defects for newborns.

On these lands live several indigenous peoples who survive mainly through hunting and gathering. They are now threatened and doomed to disappear if the forest that shelters them is replaced by soybeans. The report also explains that indigenous tribes must abandon their habitat by force or force under the pressure of armed vigilantes.

Mighty Earth, Rainforest Foundation Norway and Fern also explain in this report that as a major consumer of meat, France represents a lucrative market for soybean companies . Indeed, more than twenty French agri-food companies buy and sell this soybeans to farmers without worrying about the origin, the quality or the way in which these products were harvested. In addition, they do not hesitate to sell their meat, under a label of quality, respectful of the environment and "raised in France". Raised in France, of course, but with catastrophic food for the world's biodiversity.

What to do with this massive deforestation?

A recent "duty of care" law was passed in March 2017. It requires parent companies "to identify risks and to prevent serious violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, health and safety of persons as well as the environment, resulting from the activities of the company and those of the companies it controls within the meaning of II of Article L. 233-16, directly or indirectly, as well as the activities of subcontractors or suppliers with which is maintained an established commercial relation, when these activities are attached to this relation ". France Nature Environnement, Sherpa and Mighty Earth have therefore chosen to write a letter to 20 companies from the agri-food industry and the French retail sector, reminding them of their duty of vigilance vis-à-vis their sources supply. Among these giants, we find Auchan, Carrefour, Casino, Super U, Bigard, but also Lactalis and Sodexo.

On our side, as a consumer, we have the power to limit the devastating effects of soybean cultivation by choosing meat from organic farming . In this context, the breeder agrees to comply with specifications for feeding, veterinary monitoring and maintenance of animals and exploitation. Thus, livestock feed generally comes either from fodder from the farm itself but above all, and primarily from the use of pastures.

There is also the possibility of removing the meat from our diet by simply becoming a vegetarian. Indeed, if the demand falls, the offer will have to do the same. In addition, it has been proven that meat is not essential for health since proteins are, at the base, present in plants (vegetable proteins).
Author amused amusa

This article appeared first on https://www.notre-planete.info/actualites/669-viande-culture-soja-deforestation-elevage
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