Beef Companies Failing in Effort to Slow Amazon Deforestation, Study Says

America's top beef buyers have vowed to help stop the clearing of rainforest land for beef production, but haven't gone far enough, says advocacy group.

America's top beef buyers have failed to tackle deforestation in South America despite some companies' pledges to source "deforestation-free" beef, according to a report by an environmental advocacy group.

The growing global appetite for beef is the single biggest driver behind the disappearance of the planet's rainforests—and that is likely to expand as the world hurtles toward a population of 10 billion in 2050.

Those forest suck up millions of tons of planet-warming carbon dioxide every year and are critical to solving the global climate crisis.  Ending deforestation and restoring damaged forests could deliver as much as 40 percent of the emissions cuts needed to meet the goals of the Paris accord, the international climate agreement that will go into force next month.

The study, by the Union of Concerned Scientists, tracked the beef industry's progress toward "deforestation-free" beef, ranking 13 U.S. companies on the strength of their efforts over the past few years in South America, where deforestation rates have skyrocketed over the last four decades.

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