Do large slaughterhouses promote sustainable intensification of cattle ranching in Amazonia and the Cerrado?

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of large slaughterhouses on five variables, two related to environment impact (land use change rate and greenhouse gases emissions (GE)), and three related to cattle-ranching intensification (protein from crops, calories from crops and stocking rate). In Amazonia, the results show a reduction of the land use change rate and GE in zones both with and without the influence of large slaughterhouses. The hypothesis that slaughterhouses are leverage points to reduce deforestation in the biome was not confirmed. The slaughterhouses also seem to have no effect on cattle ranching intensification, as protein and calories production increased significantly in both zones, while the stocking rates did not change in the influence zones. In the Cerrado, cattle-ranching intensification is a reality, and is occurring independently of the presence of large slaughterhouses. In conclusion, the results show no evidence that large slaughterhouses have promoted either cattle-ranching intensification or improvements in the sustainability of the cattle-ranching activity in Amazonia and the Cerrado.