A new certification scheme launched in Brazil aims to give meatpackers, importers and retailers confidence that the beef they sell is not linked to deforestation, as global pressure mounts on supply chains to prove environmental credentials.
The voluntary Beef on Track label, developed by the Institute of Forest and Agricultural Management and Certification (Imaflora), was launched in October and is expected to come into force in 2026.
It is the first certification system designed specifically to guarantee deforestation-free beef, building on monitoring and verification processes already used by parts of the Brazilian meat industry.
Imaflora executive manager Marina Guyot said the scheme was designed to make existing controls more transparent rather than creating new ones. “We’re not reinventing the wheel; we’re giving visibility to processes that already exist,” she said.
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Cattle ranching remains one of the biggest drivers of deforestation in Brazil, particularly in the Amazon, Cerrado and Pantanal regions. According to MapBiomas, around 90% of land deforested in the Amazon between 1985 and 2023 was converted into pasture.
The Beef on Track certification will be applied to individual slaughterhouses rather than entire companies or ranchers. Importers, retailers and financial institutions linked to those plants can also be certified, with the label intended to be visible to consumers.
The system has four tiers, from bronze to platinum. Bronze certification requires slaughterhouses to ensure their direct suppliers are not linked to illegal deforestation, embargoed land, protected areas or slave-like labour. Silver goes further by banning all deforestation among direct suppliers. Gold and platinum levels extend monitoring to indirect suppliers, with platinum requiring a fully deforestation-free supply chain.
Monitoring indirect suppliers remains the biggest challenge, according to researchers, but Imaflora hopes the tiered approach will encourage gradual improvements across the industry.
The scheme could also help exporters comply with the EU’s deforestation-free products regulation, which bans goods produced on land deforested after 2020. Platinum-certified beef would meet the EU’s requirements, although certified and non-certified products would need to be physically segregated.
While interest is growing, uptake has been cautious. No meatpackers have yet signed up, although a major Chinese meat association has pledged to purchase Beef on Track-certified beef from 2026. Imaflora plans to promote the scheme in Europe next year.
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