THE FUTURE OF BEEF IS DEFORESTATION-FREE
THE FUTURE OF BEEF IS DEFORESTATION-FREE When a large, global food company commits to deforestation-free commodities its entire supply chain listens. And when McDonald’s does so, other global food companies follow suit. That’s why the company’s commitment to source only deforestation-free beef by 2020 in regions with identified risks relating to the preservation of forests holds such promise to protect critical habitats, including Latin America’s most valuable ecosystems. Many factors drive deforestation, but beef production is the biggest. Cattle ranching occupy about 80 percent of the deforested area in the Amazon, and it has led to the conversion of nearly 200 million acres of Cerrado habitat. The environmental impacts of deforestation are clear: it contributes to climate change, drought, soil degradation and erosion, water pollution, the sprea...