Brazil-China beef alliance signals positive shift
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s recent visit to China highlighted the transition both countries want with regards to more sustainable economic models.
With renewed effort to bring about Brazil’s lead on global climate action, the two countries released a joint statement, in part detailing their cooperation in reaching global climate goals with focus on forests, and “engage collaboratively in support of eliminating global illegal logging and deforestation through effectively enforcing their respective laws on banning illegal imports and exports”.
Brazil is a key strategic partner for China and their largest supplier of agricultural commodities, particularly beef. In 2022, Brazil sent over 10% of its total beef production to China, representing 55% of its total beef exports.
The new beef alliance, working in conjunction with the Tropical Forest Alliance, will hopefully see positive changes where there is current concern over land conversion and deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes. The initiative, bringing together civil society groups and food companies, will set criteria for the exports, strictly limiting the land conversion and deforestation involved in production.
The new agreement could be viewed as a model for other world economies. By driving change across one of the globes largest cattle-trade relationships, the potential is there to combat climate change by ending the destruction of some of the most biodiverse biomes in the world.
The extensive list of tangible commercial deals that came about from President Lula’s visit, committing to the Agricultural roadmap to 1.5C, from COP27, shows the positive signs that have come from his focus on sustainable development after his re-appointment.
With well-functioning traceability systems needing to be put in place and enforced, this is just the beginning, but, the involvement of civil society groups to hold the corporate giants to account and the news that pressure for change is coming from both Chinese and Brazilian industrial associations, a positive shift for the future of the forests is possible.
Photo by Joshua Tsu on Unsplash
