Rainforest Beef

Abstract

Changing the rainforest might be a big reason the Amazon and it’s forests are bearing extinction. The government should provide their farmers other ways to make money. The EU started a ban on Brazilian beef and crippled the international beef export market. Government should give warnings and punishments, and make cutting the forest down more difficult. On the other hand, Brazilian beef is one of best meats in the world, so it's difficult to ban it.

Do you eat Brazilian beef? Do you know what some of the Brazilian farmers do? Brazil is a country with so much rainforest that many countries are criticizing Brazil because they have been making tree species extinct. According to the Irish Times, "Many in Brazil's farming community are annoyed at international pressure to deny what they see as their right to exploit a natural resource. "The majority of countries criticizing Brazil for deforestation here are countries that have already chopped down their forests“ (2005, p.13). Some people have argued that deforestation has led to many different troubles. K. Mantell says, "Brazil's growing success as an exporter of beef is responsible for much of the recent rise in the rate of destruction of the Amazon rainforest, according to new research" (2004, p.1). However, H. Walsh (2005) said, Brazil is trying to remove the rainforest and change it to beef raising. Changing the rainforest might affect the environment. It seems that Brazilians are so eager to make money, they going to cut down rainforest, and not even worry about the health of the beef. Changing the rainforest might be a big reason the Amazon and its forests are becoming extinct. The government should provide their farmers other ways to make money. I hope farmers look for the advantages and disadvantages before they are deciding to remove the rainforest. I plan on writing about trying to stop extinction of forest.

First, government should give the farmers other resources to do their business. Second, the EU should ban Brazilian beef. Finally, Brazil should make cutting the forest down more difficult.

Brazil will keep its position as world’s biggest exporter of beef. According to one article, “Certain facts seem to support the farmers' claim that the rise of Brazil's beef industry has been at the Amazon's expense. A World Bank report last year estimated that cattle ranching occupied 75 per cent of deforested areas of the Amazon, a fifth of which has already disappeared.” "According to figures released by the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture, over the 12-month period from August 2004 to July 2005, revenues from Brazilian beef exports totaled US$ 2.896 billion, 41% more than the US$ 2.057 billion registered between August 2003 and July 2004. Volume during this period went from 1.539 million tons exported between August 2003 and July 2004 to 2.188 million tons (August 2004 to July 2005)"(2005). If Brazil produces that amount will lead, to extinction of the forests, the trees advantages, carbon dioxide and natural life. In my viewpoint, it does not stop all the Brazilian beef, but they could limit production.

First, the government should give farmers other ways to make money. Usually people are trying to make money in any way. First, planting crops is a good way to increase exportation. According to G. T. Miller, Jr. "tropical forests touches the daily lives of everyone on Earth through the products and ecological services they provide. There forests supply half of the world's annual harvest of hardwood, hundreds of food products (including coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, nuts, chocolate, and tropical fruits), and many materials (including natural latex rudder, resins, dyes, and essential oils) that can be harvested
sustainably and generate twice as much revenue per hectare as timber production and three times as much as cattle ranching" (California.p.60). Also, a new way can help them increase their growth and improve their position in the world. There are many ways that can lead them to making money. Also, they have to take care of their children and their grand children in the future. Maybe their children face their life without forest, trees, wood, fruits etc… how can they live? Maybe it will be hard to find the trees in the future.

Second, the EU should ban Brazilian beef and cripple the international beef export market. According the article, “Call for action on Brazilian beef”, “Mr McCrea said he believed that the European Commission must act immediately to prevent the importation of Brazilian beef.” ‘However, even if the Commission does not act immediately, the supermarkets and, particularly, the catering industry, should now voluntarily stop using beef which is imported from this source,’" (2007,p.4). A call for a total beef ban might change the enforcement of the farmers business. Some of them may care about a safe environment, or others may fear for their business if they stop imports. This call is like an advertisement; any advertisement will affect the business in several ways. A number of issues are related to converting forest land to beef raising. Therefore, if the farmers do not see that side, they are going to lose their money. Maybe there are some people who cut forest without a permit. Therefore, those people have to be given punishment because they do not care about risk to the environment. Also, this punishment will give farmers a great warning if they cut without a permit.

Third, there are many ways to stop extinction of rainforest by making cutting it down more difficult. Brazil's government should give warnings and punishments for anyone who breaks the rules. K. Mantell says, "The international and domestic market forces currently promoting the cattle-driven deforestation described in CIFOR's report are much stronger than ever," he says. ‘Even with the most determined policy response, it might be hard to decisively curb deforestation. To limit the negative impact on Brazilian rainforests will require a massive effort.’"(2004, p.10). The law has to be conclusive to keep the environment. There is another way to make it difficult. Tax is a good idea to decrease the number of people who like the rainforest because tax will make farmers feel business is unsuccessful. Also maybe they will change their mind. Usually people hate the tax, so I think it is a great plan. Tax is going to give them less profit. I believe punishments or tax is a good solution for the problem of the rainforest.

Opponents of replacing rainforest do not believe there are problems will cutting down rainforest because they did not see the problems. Brazilian beef is one of the great meats in the world, so it's difficult to ban it. On the other hand, farmers would like to feel freedom in business because it's easy to make money. Some ime forests use wood for power projects plan. According the article the disappearing rainforests, "One pulp wood project in the Brazilian Amazon consists of a Japanese power plant and pulp mill. To set up this single plant operation, 5,600 square miles of Amazon rainforest were burned to the ground and replanted with pulpwood trees. This single manufacturing plant consumes 2,000 tons of surrounding rainforest wood every day to produce 55 megawatts of electricity to run the plant. The plant, which has been in operation since 1978, produces more than 750 tons of pulp for paper every 24 hours, worth approximately $500,000, and has built 2,800 miles of roads through the Amazon rainforest to be used by its 700 vehicles."(1996,p.53). Usually they can't use the trees or trees might make less money than beef. In my opinion, I believe forests are more helpful for us than allowing carbon dioxide to be released. According the article Amazon deforestation lower than last year says Brazil, "Less rain tends to fall in deforested areas and scientists fear that continued forest clearing could turn much of the region into savanna. A recent study in Science warned that a prolonged drought in the Amazon could lead to a massive die-off in the world's largest rainforest" (2005, p.8). Maybe Brazilian farmers affect Amazon in this way.

In conclusion, removing the rainforest and changing it to animal raising will lead Brazil to big environmental problems. The Brazilian government has to ban cattle raising before it gets risks. The UE got angry at what the farmers Brazil did so they ban banned imports of Brazilian beef. According to Irish Times, "First detected in the supposedly vaccinated state of Mato Grosso do Sul on October 10th the outbreak has led to a partial ban on Brazilian imports into the EU and highlights what Irish farmers say is the lax traceability and control measures in place in Brazil, which they claim warrant a total ban on Brazilian beef imports" (2005). Stop changing forests to animal; that will stop the risk to the environment. Warning and punishment will scare the discordant farmers Government should show people another way to make money. I deducted three solutions for that; government should give the farmers other resources to do their business; EU should ban Brazilian beef and the government make cutting down more difficult.

Reference:

Amazon deforestation lower than last year says Brazil. (2005, August 27). Mongabay.com. Retrieved October 22, 2007, from http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0827-brazil.html

Call for action on Brazilian beef. (2007, November 12).
Farminglife.com. Retrieved November 20, 2007, from http://www.farminglife.com/farmingnews/Call-for-action-on-Brazilian.3469435.jp

Fears for Brazil rainforest rise with beef sales. (2005, October 28). Irish Times. Retrieved October 22, 2007, from Lexis Nexis database.

Mantell, K. (2004, April 5). Demand for Brazilian beef threatens rainforest. scidev.net. Retrieved November 07, 2007, from http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=1314&language=1

Miller, G.T. (1994) Environment: Problems and Solutions. The importance of Ecological Diversity. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Co. Ch. 4, pp. 4-4 4-8

Rainforest FACTS. (1996). Rain-tree.com. Retrieved November 20, 2007, from http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm

Walsh, H. (2005, October 28). New call for total beef ban. Irish Times. Retrieved October 22, 2007, from Lexis Nexis database