• Greater transparency

The number of slaughterhouses that published the results of independent audits on their cattle purchasing operations increased significantly: from 13 in 2024 to 41 the following year. In terms of slaughter capacity, the jump was from 37% to 57% of the total. This increase was possibly due to audits conducted by the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) in the states of Acre, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, and Tocantins. The Meat TAC is a Conduct Adjustment Agreement signed in 2009 between the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) and slaughterhouses that purchase cattle in the Legal Amazon. It is a legal agreement—with the force of an enforceable title—to eliminate purchases of cattle linked to illegalities. The action significantly increased transparency in the livestock chain, especially outside the state of Pará, which already publishes the results of contracted audits of companies annually.

Additionally, the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and the MPF conducted independent audits to evaluate slaughterhouses that had not submitted their own reports. The MPF created the automatic audit of the Meat TAC to ensure the monitoring of slaughterhouses that, although summoned, did not submit independent audits or that, even without being signatories to the TAC, are relevant to the slaughter of cattle in the Amazon. In this model, the MPF cross-references official databases (such as GTA, CAR, embargoes, indigenous lands, conservation units, and deforestation) to verify any irregularities in cattle purchases, without considering justifications from companies.

• Zero Deforestation Commitment

Only two companies, Marfrig and JBS, have declared a commitment to absolute zero deforestation. However, neither of them has released independent audits to prove their implementation.

• Progress

Compared to the 2024 assessment, the meatpackers Plena Alimentos, Frigobom, Naturafrig, and Frialto (Vale Grande Indústria e Comércio de Alimentos S.A.) have made significant progress in the transparency of public data. Among the improvements observed are more detailed disclosure of the social and environmental criteria applied in cattle purchases and the publication of the results of independent audits. With this progress, these meatpackers have joined the list of companies with the best performance in the assessment.

• Voluntary submission of information

For the second consecutive year, the meatpacker Plena Alimentos voluntarily provided additional information for the survey by completing and submitting its responses to the Radar Verde questionnaire.