Brazil Initiative Events

The film displays the history of cattle ranching, the main driver of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, from the late 1960's when the military government stimulated occupation of the region to the present when public and private initiatives have tried to curb deforestation. There are 85 million cows in the region, which means three cows for each human. Less than fifty years ago, in the 1970s, the rainforest was mostly intact or used lightly. Since then, a portion the size of France has disappeared, 66% of which transformed into pastures. Much of this change is a consequence of government incentives that attracted thousands of farmers from southern lands. Cattle ranching became an economic and cultural banner of the Amazon, forging powerful politicians to defend it. In 2009, there was a game changer: the Public Prosecutor's Office sued large slaughterhouses, forcing them to supervise cattle supplying farms. The documentary shows the main stakeholders points of views, including prosecutors, environmental police, cattle ranchers, politicians, meatpackers owners and environmentalists.