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Major supermarkets and fast food chains may be selling chicken fed soybeans grown on illegally logged land in some of the world’s most endangered ecosystems, a report has emerged.
Tesco and Sainsbury’s, as well as fast food chains KFC and McDonald’s, risk inadvertently breaking new forest protection laws after climate campaigners discovered Britain’s main chicken supplier is linked to a company repeatedly accused of deforestation in Brazil. You may be in trouble.
One of Britain’s largest chicken producers, which supplies millions of chickens every week to supermarkets and other luxury brands, has been found to be doing business with the US commodities giant at the center of the soy production controversy.
This is believed to be the first time a link between the two meat giants has been discovered.
Investigators traced grain transporters from a soybean plant owned by an American company to a plant that supplied feed to the British producer’s network of more than 800 intensive poultry farms.
The survey was conducted by climate campaign group Mighty Earth and AGtivist, a group that seeks to expose the dangers of industrial agriculture.
The UK imports more than 3 million tonnes of soy every year, 90% of which is used to feed animals raised for meat (mainly chicken). More than 70% of the beans come from Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.
This supply chain allows chicken sellers to unknowingly purchase soybeans from areas where trees have been illegally destroyed, according to a new report from Mighty Earth.
The report called Foul Play., In areas of Brazil that supply soybeans to the UK, we have recently identified seven cases of deforestation totaling 11,827 hectares.
Brazil’s soybean industry is leading the way in ecological destruction. Investigators found that Britain’s soy supply was significantly linked to Mato Grosso province, which is home to the Amazon rainforest, savannahs and wetlands and has the highest deforestation rate in the UK.
Forests are key to the fight against climate change by absorbing harmful greenhouse gases, stemming the tide of biodiversity loss and providing habitat for wildlife.
This year, Brazil has experienced its worst wildfires in decades (about 50,000), further threatening some of the world’s most important ecosystems.
According to the report, the fire was mainly caused by factory farming. A Greenpeace investigation previously blamed the fires on agricultural expansion of soybeans, which are used as chicken feed.
Brazil is 149% increase in burn area Last month compared to August last year, according to MapBiomas Brasil.
The report calls for stronger environmental laws in the UK to end soy-related deforestation in the chicken sector, warning that without these laws major retailers and fast food chains will be unable to avoid illegal deforestation by their suppliers.
Changes to the law have been delayed under the Conservatives and Mighty Earth is calling on Labor to change the law.
the government said independence It was planning an announcement on policy.
Numerous investigations have revealed how millions of birds in the UK are suffering in overcrowded concentration facilities and fed high-protein soybean meal, causing them to grow at an exceptional and unnatural rate.
Gemma Hoskins, senior UK director at Mighty Earth and author of the report., “Supermarkets and fast food chains rely on such suppliers to ensure a steady supply of cheap, factory-farmed chicken.
“The UK government must act urgently to bring deforestation to its knees by ensuring transparent and public reporting is guaranteed by law, as well as scrutinizing our food system and its impact on forests. Nature and Animal Welfare.”
A spokesperson for the UK Chicken Supplier said: “We regard sustainable soy sourcing as a critical issue for the global food industry and are committed to proactively addressing it.” “We are in close contact with all of our soybean suppliers to ensure compliance with future regulations. Our Commitment.”
A KFC UK spokesperson said: “Our suppliers must be deforestation and conversion free by the end of 2025 and we assess progress annually as part of our publicly available soy reports. “Ahead of 2025, we are holding a dedicated meeting to review our soy procurement policy compliance plan.”
KFC added that it is a member of the UK Roundtable on Sustainable Soy and EFECA.
Sainsbury’s referred to the BRC’s statement. Sophie De Salis, Sustainability Advisor, said: “Retailers have been working together to tackle deforestation and increase the use of certified sustainable soy in their supply chains through industry-led initiatives such as the Soy Statement.
“Retailers continue to make progress towards their targets, but we have long called on the UK and Brazilian governments to take stronger action to tackle deforestation, as legislative action is urgently needed to tackle this important issue. “The UK government should push ahead with the regulation of UK forestry risk products.”
Neither Tesco nor McDonald’s responded to requests for comment.
