Marfrig wants to be ‘global leader’ in environmental sustainability

The business has recently launched a line of meats produced in line with top sustainability production practices and is working on building a responsible ranching model in the Amazon to promote sustainable farming.

“Marfrig believes that the success and sustainability of its global business of providing meats to hundreds of millions of consumers annually is dependent on the health of the environment, natural resources such as water, the well-being of the herds, respect for our staff and their communities,​” Mathias de Almeida, Marfrig Beef’s sustainability manager told GlobalMeatNews.​

Thanks to recent economic development, the Amazon is at the forefront of deforestation, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). By 2030, it is expected that more than a quarter of the land surface area of the Amazon will have been destroyed as a result of deforestation.

‘Everybody is effected’​

Marfrig has a history of commitment to preserving ecosystems and its new plan falls in line with the wider strategy to lead by example in areas of sustainability.
 
“To achieve this, we are consolidating our position as a global leader in our sector in sustainability, with a big emphasis on areas critically important to the planet such as deforestation, in particular the Amazon as well as the deep south of Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay,​” said Almeida.

The business has used satellite technology to map the properties of its cattle ranches and now prevents the purchase of more land that would encroach on the Amazonian rainforest.

Sustainable cattle production​

“Everybody is affected by changes in the environment,” ​said Almeida. “Everything humanity does has an impact. We want to stand out within our sector and, at the same time, ensure that we are producing excellent-quality meats for consumers worldwide.​”

The meat line launched by Marfrig has involved work with the NGO, the Nature Conservancy and US retail giant Wal-Mart to develop ways of tracking productivity and improvement in the beef supply chain. One area the business is looking at is revitalising regraded areas of land and using this for pasture to negate the need to reduce the rainforest any further.

The meat products will bear an Alianza del Pastizal seal. This is certification from a program in Latin American designed to foster sustainable cattle production in the biome of Brazil, as well as Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.