Brazil is on the cutting edge of the development of programs that are capable of tracing the whole production process of meat produced in the country, from the animal´s birth to the cuts sold in the supermarkets, nationally or internationally. But Brazil still isn´t prepared to implement these systems. Besides sanitation guarantees for the consumer, the organization of the production and of the sale of meat would also imply a guarantee that the consumer is not incentivizing the conversion of forest areas into pastures, especially in the Amazon, as well as other crimes. Unfortunately, it´s doubtful that the majority of Brazilians will even think about this.

- 80% of the areas illegally opened in the Amazon are used for the purpose of raising cattle.  - Between 1996 and 2006, the pastures grew from 23.4 million hectares to 55.4 million hectares in the region. . - 30% of the total national slaughter comes from the Amazon. - 70 a 75% of all of this slaughtered meat is consumed in Brazil - Brazil is the largest producer of red meat on the planet

In 2009, Greenpeace campaigned throughout Brazil and worldwide about how at least 80% of the areas illegally opened in the Amazon are used for the purpose of raising cattle. Between 1996 and 2006, the pastures grew from 23.4 million hectares to 55.4 million hectares in the region.

Not uncommonly, the cattle are marketed from settlements and farms without necessarily having invoices and they are sent to slaughterhouses that sell the meat requiring nothing more than the sanitation quality verification, if anything.

During the investigation that generated the report "Cattle Raising Spree in the Amazon," Greenpeace encountered conflicting data, but it´s possible to say that at least 30% of the total national slaughter comes from the Amazon. 70 to 75% of all of this slaughtered meat is consumed in Brazil and the rest is exported. Brazil is the largest producer of red meat on the planet.

In 2004, however, a program began which allowed visibility throughout this whole productive process. There was a request from a Spanish company that was looking for a more sophisticated device used for importing Brazilian meat.

The company solicited Sima Comércio e Serviços, a business consultation and technology developing company, for the product. "It seemed simple to look for a meat supplier that was screened, but this doesn´t exist," explained Arnaldo Sima, the company director.

"The customer wants to see a meat packaging code that allows the customer to verify information about the animal on the internet, such as the breed, the animal´s date of birth, how it was slaughtered, where it was slaughtered, the types of vaccines that it got, it´s food, and if there was sweatshop labor, all certified by a European public official," adds Sima.

According to him, at one time the environmental factor wasn´t such a concern, but today it´s possible to know if the ranch has a role in environmental crimes or if the property is licensed, by checking the name of the ranch and the owner.

Authorized Control of Brazil

This is the essential information for a conscious purchase, which the actual Brazilian System of Bovine and Buffalo Identification (Sisbov), from the Agricultural, Livestock and Supply Ministry (MAPA), still isn´t capable of giving. Developed in 2002, the system functions on its own and only European (EU) markets recommend its use.

According to Márcio Rezende, the director of the Livestock Defense Secretary of MAPA, the tendency is that the consumer demands this information more every time. "The Sisbov has a way of understanding the specific market requirements, like the European Union, to facilitate Brazilian exports," he explained.

But this is very little for a country that serves the largest importers of red meat - Russia, China, the United States and the Arabian markets.

According to a EU list of suppliers from the Agricultural Ministry, there are nearly 1,500 farms capable of exporting to Europe under these criteria. MAPA hasn't indicated what the proportion is of Brazilian properties and slaughterhouses that work with cattle that are traceable by Sisbov. But, according to Sima, this statistic is four animals to every one that is registered, not forgetting that many cities in Brazil sell meat without even a sanitation inspection.

The traceability of meat in Brazil governed by the law 12.097, sanctioned by President Lula in November of 2009, makes it very clear that environmental factors are not a priority within this process. "The primary objective of traceability is the perfection of control and guarantee of the land and the animal's health, the public health and food safety," the document states.

Rezende, meanwhile, reminds us that there are other ways to track the legal origin of the farm animals. "Sisbov, together with the systems connected to animals' health and public health are the only instruments that enable the tracking of animals or food, and they can also be used for the environmental bodies," Rezende explained. He states, for example, that the program Boi Guardião, launched in December of 2009 in six municipalities of Pará, screens the animal transportation guide (GTA) electronically for livestock activity without deforestation; this can be proven by the georeference of the properties developed by Embrapa.

Complete Tracking

Arnaldo's company took a step well beyond the calling. It created the current Pathfinder, an internet program that receives information provided by the farmer such as the calves'DNA examinations from birth and their identification number, as well as all of the other factors, like the vaccines that are taken, the food that was ingested, where it has gone. It all is organized in data banks throughout the world and therefore the information cannot be altered.

"The system isn't under the control of the farm nor the slaughterhouse. I can't guarantee that the information provided is true, but in a suspicious case, we can track the fraud and know exactly who provided the incorrect data," said Arnaldo. To do this, a genetic sample must be taken and in this case, the one found responsible for the fraud can be discredited by the system.

There is also some technology in the patenting phase that assures traceability of meat within the slaughterhouse, while it is being cut and de-boned. "This technology guarantees that at the end of the process it is possible to know which animal the steak came from that the consumer bought, thanks to control components included in the process," says Sima. This will be another crucial difference in relation to Sisbov.

"Sisbov can track the animal while it's still alive. Our clientele want to track the slaughterhouse too, including the transportation of the meat, up until it arrives on the shelves," explains Sima. The proposal now is not only to put this system on the market, but to create a platform where all of the software that works with traceability can integrate and complement each other. Like Sima, there are other companies that are developing systems of genetic traceability for pork and red meat, such as BiomicroGen, which is in the incubator of companies from the Campinas State University (Unicamp). This network of partners still is in construction and the release of the Pathfinder platform into the Brazilian market is expected to be in June of 2010.

Pressure for Legal Origination

As a consequence of the greater pressure from NGOs, it's already possible to see some advances in this sector, although it's still far from what is necessary. "Slaughterhouses have at least stopped ignoring the problem and have gone on to promise that they will act to resolve it. In Pará, for example, there are already concrete initiatives," reminds Marcio Astrini, from the Greenpeace Amazon campaign.

Starting January 31, 2010, the state government determined that slaughterhouses, leather shops and exporters can only buy meat from suppliers who are properly registered with Rural Environment Registry (Cadastro Ambiental Rural, CAR), by the environmental secretary. But at the moment, of the 110 thousand properties known by the state, only six thousand are registered. Now, those who disobey are assuming the responsibility of committing a crime.

Another front being pushed for by Greenpeace was the signed compromise from the four largest slaughterhouses in Brazil (Marfrig, Minerva, JBS-Friboi and Bertin), in October of 2009, for them to only buy cattle raised on farms that were not involved in invasions of areas of conservation, indigenous land, slave-like work or illegal deforestation. If they are able to mobilize and follow these rules, society will only know on April 5th, 2010.

"We are on the first step in knowing where the cattle come from. The environmental and social Sisbov, the Brazilian consumer simply doesn't have," considers Astini. "In the majority of cases, we can't even trace the farm because it's invisible in the eyes of the State, despite the Consumer's Code of Defense which gives the right to demand where the product comes from," he concluded.

Sima believes that many consumers are ready to pay a little more for meat in the supermarket that allows them to have access to more refined information. Once these systems of traceability are implemented, they will elevate the costs for properties and the slaughterhouses. During the development of the program, the company found that consumers would pay 12% to 20% more for a higher quality meat and to know the product better that they are buying, besides the label.

Sima has an interesting example. "The other day we had a BBQ for the company employees and we bought 20 cuts of steak. It was written that all of the cuts came from male calves. We did a test and only 8 were actually male. Therefore, if they are lying about the sex of the animal, which is something that you can prove with a test for ten Reais, you can imagine what the level of confidence is for other information," Sima wonders. (translation Amy Roberts)
Andreia Fanzeres is journalist graduated by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. She has worked on the magazines Ciência Hoje ans Ciência Hoje On-line. Currently she is O Eco´s correspondent in Mato Grosso.