A major shipping company transported more than half a million tonnes of beef and hides from slaughterhouses linked to rainforest destruction in Brazil over a two-year period. This is equivalent to half of the UK’s annual beef consumption.
New data from consulting firm AidEnvironment has been analyzed. Bureau of Investigative Journalism Twelve meat plants operated by Brazil’s three largest beef companies – JBS, Marfrig and Minerva – were linked to at least 4,600 square kilometers of forest loss between August 2021 and July 2023. This is three times the area of London.
Shipping records show MSC transported the largest volume of beef and hides from 12 slaughterhouses, totaling nearly 190,000 tons. They are followed by Maersk (more than 119,000 tonnes), Hamburg-Sud (acquired by Maesk in 2017) and Hapag-Lloyd (87,000 tonnes). CMA CGM shipped the 5th largest volume in the same period with 46,000 tons.
deforestation
TBIJ’s analysis is the first to show the volume of beef cattle products at risk of deforestation transported by shipping companies to major markets including China, the United States and the European Union (EU).
This follows the EU decision to postpone legislation requiring companies to ensure that certain products they import, including beef, soy, rubber and palm oil, do not cause deforestation. The EU has confirmed that couriers will not be directly affected by this new law as they are not purchasing the products.
However, Marie Toussaint MEP responsible for EU legislation told TBIJ that shippers “will have an important role to play in exercising due diligence”. She said TBIJ’s investigation highlighted the “urgent need to take action” to stop deforestation.
Alex Wijeratna, senior director of campaign group Mighty Earth, said: “Major shipping companies quietly play a role in facilitating multibillion-dollar global trade in goods at risk of deforestation, such as beef and leather… But when it comes to liability, they fly under the radar.”
exposure
“Shipping companies must commit themselves to ensuring sustainable supply chains and moving goods without illegal deforestation,” said Holly Gibbs, director of the Global Land Use and Environment Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Nicole Polsterer, from campaign group Fern, said: “It’s not just people wielding chainsaws who should be held responsible for deforestation – every link in the supply chain that profits from contaminated goods should be held legally accountable.”
In response to TBIJ’s findings, CMA-CGM said it was committed to limiting the impact of its activities on biodiversity, was developing new procedures and would inform customers to ensure future compliance.
“CMA CGM Group is closely following developments related to upcoming European regulations regarding imports into EU markets and exports from the EU of certain products linked to deforestation.”
