The first tree came crashing down... swiftly followed by another. And another. As quickly as farmhands could fell them, machinery churned up the timber and bulldozers cleared the next swathe of land.
We are witnessing vandalism of a vital landscape on a huge scale and “justified” by demands from consumers for cheap food.
Thousands of acres of woodland in the Cerrado tropical savanna, in central Brazil, are being destroyed to make way for soybean plantations.
The protein-rich legume is used in animal feed so that pigs, cattle and chicken – including supplies in the UK – grow faster and bigger.
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Millions of us are consumers – be it through tucking into a Big Mac or enjoying a glass of milk.
The global market for soy production is £98billion. Little wonder, then, that the Cerrado forest wreckers are dubbed the “Agricultural Mafia”, putting profits before the planet.
Rainforests here shelter parrots, jaguars and antelopes. But their natural habitat is under constant threat by illegal deforestation.
In Brazil, including the Amazon rainforest further north, an area of woodland the size of California has vanished since the late 1980s. Now field after field, almost as far as the eye can see, replace a once green blanket.
The UK contributes to the problem, importing 500,000 tons of Brazilian soya each year.
While many firms demand ethically sourced soya, some of it inevitably comes from areas blighted by destruction of forests and displacement of wildlife.
Only today, the Mirror told how wildcat miners are stripping Brazilian rainforests to get at gold reserves.
Today’s revelations on the Cerrado come after an urgent alert sounded by Greenpeace. And our findings should worry every UK brand that buys Brazilian soya.
Few companies can say for certain that soya in their supply chain has not been grown or harvested legally. And even those who contribute to “zero-deforestation” schemes must realise new forests do not grow overnight.
Local campaigner Fernanda Oliveira, 36, said: “The real issue for foreign buyers is what they are told and what is the truth are often very different things.
“The scale of the problem is massive. Soya is being laundered into the system daily and buyers in the UK are clueless it was grown on deforested land.
“The problem starts with our government. They turn a blind eye, but the UK will continue to be hoodwinked unless foreign buyers insist on stringent checks.”
We saw a forest of eucalyptus being cut down – another disaster for the Cerrado, where it’s getting tougher for animals to survive.
Soya also ruins the soil and harms local water resources – vital to Brazil’s eco system.
A law change in 2008 to reduce deforestation meant soya production is only permitted on land already converted for agriculture.
However, a loophole makes the system open to widespread abuse. Some producers grow the beans on deforested land but sell them through legitimate farms in a form of soya laundering.
Others get round the law by taking pastures once used for grazing, converting them into soya plantations – only then to deforest other areas, legally, to accommodate cattle.
Naamã Rocha, 53, a farmer in Goiás state, knows some of his counterparts use illegal practices.
As he harvested this year’s crop, he told the Mirror: “It is impossible to stamp out. People found out very quickly how to use the rules to their advantage.
“No matter how great the efforts are, if someone is determined to put soya farmed on deforested land into the food chain, nothing can be done.
“Your companies will continue to be duped as the long as the Cerrado is here.”
Some of the UK’s biggest brands, including food manufacturers, fast food chains and supermarkets, have faced protests for buying milk produced by herds fed on soya.
A group of British dairy farms use animal feed containing Brazilian soy – exported by US grain giant Cargill.
Cargill’s Brazilian supplier, Grupo Scheffer, has been fined heavily for clearing expanses of protected forest – though it claims to respect “practices that guarantee the longevity of the soil and the environment”.
Cargill, which has operations in Goiás, said: “We take this type of grievance against a supplier very seriously. If violations are found in any area, we will take immediate action in accordance with our Soy Grievance Process. Cargill has worked relentlessly to build a more sustainable soy supply chain.”
British firms do their bit by signing up to certification schemes that pledge to compensate for, or cancel out, their environmental damage.
One scheme – where buyers purchase “credits” to offset every ton produced – is used by Asda, Nando’s and some dairy producers.
The system is overseen by the Round Table on Responsible Soy Association and proceeds go towards supporting best practice farming. It cannot guarantee, however, that soya used in the supply chain is deforestation-free.
Fast food giant McDonald’s has said it subscribes to offsetting schemes. It was approached for comment.
Another system, adopted by Tesco, is called “mass balance”, which ensures sustainable products are in the supply chain. However, the supplier may still mix this with beans from deforested farms.
Under mass balance, companies and their meat suppliers would only purchase a volume of the crop that matched the original amount of sustainable soya.
Tesco said: “Setting fires to clear land for crops must stop.
“We are committed to playing our part to prevent further deforestation, and all of our suppliers must meet our stringent environmental and zero deforestation standards.
“We know there is more to do to tackle deforestation, which is why we’ve set a target to only source soy from verified zero-deforestation regions by 2025, and recently played a leading role in the launch of the UK Soy Manifesto, which commits signatories to ensure all soy imported into the UK is deforestation and conversion-free by 2025 at the latest.”
Tesco insists suppliers must meet environmental and zero-deforestation standards and is currently developing mechanisms to create verified zero deforestation regions.
Nando’s said: “We are deeply concerned about the impact deforestation is having and its relationship to not only the climate crisis but also ecological collapse.
“As a large business, we have a responsibility to play our role in being part of the climate solution, not part of the climate crisis. That’s why we’re proud we became the first restaurant group in Europe to have an approved science-based target.
“This means that over the next decade we will cut the carbon footprint of the average Nando’s meal by 50% and remove 100% of our direct emissions. Whilst it’s great to have long-term commitments, we are facing a climate emergency.
“That is why we have worked hard over the past five years to reduce the carbon footprint of our average meal by 40%, moved all of our electricity to 100% renewable, and now all of our gas will also be 100% renewable.”
Asda said: “The Round Table on Responsible Soya offers financial incentives for soya farmers to encourage sustainable production methods. Asda’s target is to source 100% physically certified responsible soya by 2025.’’
Companies are also co-operating in an attempt to eradicate soya grown on deforested land. Last year, more than 25 firms, including Sainsburys and food giant Nestléº SA, signed the UK Soy Manifesto. The initiative intends to prevent soya shipments from deforested regions.
