“The cattle in the pastures are financed by someone”

On 11 December, a webinar brought together expert insights on new data from Floresta 250 – Cattle, highlighting the key players influencing deforestation in Brazilian cattle supply chains.

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Moderated by Cinthia Leone from Climainfo, the event featured speakers from Global Canopy, WWF-Brasil, Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and Instituto Centro de Vida (ICV).

A worrying level of inaction

Floresta 250 – Cattle assesses organisations on the strength and implementation of their commitments on deforestation, ecosystem conversion and associated human rights abuses. 

Presenting the findings of the baseline assessment, Isadora Carvalho, Global Canopy’s Sustainable Finance Engagement Lead, pointed out that the vast majority (80%) of cattle sector heavyweights are ignoring their links to Brazilian deforestation. “Commitments are not sufficient alone; they are a first step towards best practices,” Isadora explained. She added that even among companies and financial institutions that have published deforestation commitments, not enough are following up by publishing evidence of implementation.

The report also found that companies and financial institutions are not addressing the link between deforestation and human rights abuses. “Deforestation is not related to environmental impacts alone,” Isadora pointed out. “It is closely linked with human rights abuses.” 

“We see this as a baseline,” Isadora noted. “Our goal is to have a snapshot of how these 175 companies and 75 financial institutions are performing today. Next year, around COP30, we plan to launch a second assessment, and we expect these organisations to have made some progress towards the targets and milestones of COP30.”

Meaningful action can be taken with existing data

Speakers all emphasised the urgent need for the private sector to pay more attention to deforestation. They also agreed that sufficient data already exists for meaningful action. 

Raoni Rajão, Director of Deforestation and Fire Control Policies at Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, noted: “The public prosecutor’s office, for at least ten years, has carried out audits and offered transparent data. Any financier has access to this information to check the level of compliance of the country’s main slaughterhouses in this regard.” He questioned, however, the private sector’s inaction: “Is this reflected in lower interest rates today? Is this reflected in better market decisions? This data is available, but it is not being used to its best advantage. The conversation is about how to use existing data.”

Jaciele Davi, Senior Conservation Analyst at WWF-Brasil, stressed the pivotal role of Brazil’s financial sector. She explained that while some banks and asset managers have made strides, such as forming coalitions and engaging with companies, many financial institutions still lack concrete commitments and measurable targets. “What we’d like to see is that more of these commitments are made, that practical commitments are met and that targets are more ambitious.”

Jaciele also emphasised that companies need to integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns into their core operations. “We have to stop looking at ESG and the environment as a side aspect, something that’s not involved in everything the company does.” Instead, she suggested, companies need to “[look] at what good land use is and the responsibility and accountability of all members of the value chain.” Without putting the environment at the centre, she concluded: “We will not have a fair society, we won’t have a healthy society – and as a result, countries do not have good economic development.”

Collaboration across the public and private sectors

Raoni highlighted the importance of integrating efforts from both the public and private sectors. He shared statistics from Brazil’s environmental protection agency IBAMA, revealing that 77% of areas under embargo in the Amazon continue to show signs of illegal activity. “The cattle are there in these pastures and the grains are being produced in the Amazon – they are being financed by someone. The cows are not just dying of old age – they’re being sold to someone. If we don’t integrate our efforts, together with the private sector, it’s very hard for the government alone to reach zero-deforestation.”

Alice Thuault, Executive Director at ICV, echoed this sentiment, stressing the importance of collaboration between the private sector and society. “Solutions have to be built and developed together with farmers and society – it has to be a collective construction,” she said. She highlighted recent challenges to the Amazon Soy Moratorium in the state of Mato Grosso, and reflected: “These agreements [anti-deforestation] can only exist if there’s a strong stance and a strong position, also from outside the state of Mato Grosso, to try to remove ideology from the discussion and from the dealings in the state. So we need to have a strong private sector, a strong financial sector that plays their role in this.”

The road to COP30

Isadora and Alice both cautioned that COP30 in Belém – while an important milestone – will not be a “magic” fix. “It’s an opportunity for us in 2025 to turn those words into actions – make sure commitments become real results,” Alice explained.

Raoni highlighted the importance of global attention on deforestation and forest protection, noting that “COP30 will give special emphasis to forest protection, not only in Brazil, but all over the world. We see it as a moment to consolidate best practices and build on other activities that are taking place already.”

The speakers agreed that transparent, data-driven and coordinated efforts from both the private sector and governments are essential. “It’s about looking at the glass and deciding if it’s half full or half empty,” Alice said. “Brazil has a lot of possibilities and I think we need to stress that. Brazil is a place where a commitment will make a difference because we have all the tools available.”

For more information, read the full Floresta 250 – Cattle report and watch the webinar recording.