Chicken fed on soya which comes from farms linked to fire and deforestation in Brazil are being sold in Britain’s supermarkets and fast food outlets, campaigners warn.
An investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Greenpeace UK’s Unearthed tracked soya beans transported from suppliers in Brazil’s Cerrado, where land is burned to clear it for crops, for chicken feed in the UK
The soya beans in the shipment were processed and fed to chickens reared in the UK by agribusiness Cargill, which sells them to companies including Tesco, Asda, Lidl, Nando’s and McDonald’s, the investigation found.
In response, all the companies said they are committed to tackling deforestation linked to supply chains.
Research by consultancy Aidenvironment found that land used or owned by nine of Cargill’s suppliers of soya in the Cerrado, has seen 800 square kilometres of deforestation and more than 12,000 fires recorded since 2015.
The Cerrado is a huge area to the south of the Amazon, made up of trees, shrubs and plains that store large amounts of carbon dioxide, and is home to indigenous communities and a wide array of wildlife.
But it is being cleared for for soya production, most of which is used in animal feed. The findings come as the government is proposing new legislation that will make it illegal for British companies to import food and feed linked to illegal destruction in the country of origin.
Assurances
Cargill said it is continuing to build towards a deforestation-free soya supply chain and it estimates 95.68% of its soya in Brazil in 2018-2019 was deforestation and conversion free.
A spokesman for the company said: “Cargill does not and will not supply soy from farmers who clear land in protected areas.”
An Asda spokesman said it is working with suppliers to ensure that by 2025 all of its soya is physically certified as sustainable.
The McDonald’s Corporation said globally by the end of 2019, 71% of soya sourced for feed of chicken used in the company’s products supported deforestation-free supply chains.
A Tesco spokesman said: “We need our suppliers, industry, NGOs and governments to work with us to end deforestation and protect our environment.”
