Corona crisis and the Amazon: Germany is buying less meat from Brazil

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Cattle stand near a wooded area in the Alvorada / Novo Progresso region with smoke rising from it.

Forest fires and deforestation for agriculture are the main causes of rainforest loss

Photo: Leo Correa / dpa

Significantly less Brazilian beef on Germany's plates: The export of Brazilian beef to Germany and the majority of the countries of the European Union has fallen sharply.

In Germany, the decrease corresponds to 25.7 percent: Whereas in 2019 up to August there were still 6801 tonnes of beef from Brazil, the amount fell to 5051 tonnes in the same period in 2020.

This comes from figures from the Brazilian Association of Cold Storage Stores (Abrafrigo) on Tuesday.

"Most of the countries in the European Union have cut Brazilian beef imports, in part due to the closure of economies and a reduction in the habit of eating out," said Norberto Staviski, spokesman for Abrafrigo, based in Curitiba.

"And also something for environmental reasons because of the problem with the Amazon region."

Most recently there were reports, including from Amnesty International, that beef, for the production of which rainforest is cleared, is entering the value chain and Europe.

Three quarters of Brazilian meat is consumed in the country, a quarter is exported, including to Europe.

China's demand is causing Brazil's beef exports to rise overall

Overall, exports from Brazil, which exports more beef than any other country in the world, rose by twelve percent to around 1.3 million tons by August this year.

For August, the Abrafrigo even reported a new record for this month with 191,141 tons in the corona pandemic.

The revenue for this was $ 753.2 million.

Above all, the main buyer China - as in the case of Argentina, another South American beef giant - boosted exports with an increase of 65.8 percent.

It was followed by other important customers in Brazil, Egypt, Chile, Russia, the United States, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates.

Germany is only in 19th place.

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caw / dpa