Radar Verde Estados Unidos

Brazilian beef exports to the U.S. showed modest growth from 2016 to 2019, followed by a sharp rise starting in 2020. Exports more than doubled in 2021 and continued climbing, reaching a record 271,826 tons in 2025—an eightfold increase over the decade (Figure 1). This increase resulted, in part, from the need to reduce food inflation in the US (USDA, 2022). One of the causes of global inflation has been the increased frequency and severity of weather extremes, which reduce food production, including in Australia, where the United States otherwise sourced beef (Appendix 1). Climate change raises meat prices in three main ways: by making it harder to grow feed for livestock, by reducing livestock productivity due to heat stress, and by increasing water (World Economic Forum, 2024). 

However, the search for American food security through meat imports can lead to further deforestation in Brazil, aggravating climate risks and food insecurity. For example, based on 2024 data from SEEG, livestock farming is responsible for 71% of greenhouse gas emissions in Brazil, accounting for the sum of enteric digestion emissions (29%) and the potential land-use change and deforestation considering the sum of emissions from enteric digestion (29%) and land use change and deforestation potential associated with the activity (42%) (SEEG, 2024). 

In this context, several U.S. entities are urging the country to block imports linked to deforestation. Specifically, in 2021, 40 entities supported the Forest Act 2021 bill with three pillars (McCarthy, 2021): 

1. Ban products linked to illegal deforestation into the US, based on the Lacey Act, which prohibits unlawful timber and wildlife from entering the country. The Lacey Act helped reduce illegal timber imports into the United States by between 32% and 44% (Union of Concern Scientists, 2024).

2. Create the possibility for the US to prosecute people and organizations that engage in illegal deforestation. 

3. Create a fund to help countries move away from deforestation and create effective enforcement and conservation programs.

The project initially includes the following products: palm oil, soybeans, cocoa, livestock, rubber, and timber. Livestock products are cited in the 2023 version of the Forest Act: In 2022, the United States imported beef and leather products from Brazil valued at about 1.1 billion dollars, and 95% of deforestation was illegal (US Congress - Forest Act: Section 2, paragraph 11, paragraphs A and B, 2023). Although the project has yet to be approved, assessing its potential impact in the context of increases in exports to the US is relevant.

In this technical note, we assess whether companies that own slaughterhouses licensed to export beef from the Brazilian Amazon to the United States comply with the trade specifications set forth in the most recent Forest Act proposal. Our assessment is based on the results of the 2025 Radar Verde evaluation, a tool that assesses the commitment of beef companies to zero deforestation policies. Radar Verde seeks evidence of companies adopting zero-deforestation policies to ensure that the beef they sell is not directly or indirectly associated with deforestation in the Amazon (Imazon & O Mundo Que Queremos, 2023).