SOY & CATTLE TRACKER METHODOLOGY

The Soy & Cattle Tracker monitors deforestation in Brazil's Amazon and Cerrado biomes, linking land conversion to major soy traders and beef packers. Using satellite alerts from DETER (INPE) and GLAD (Global Forest Watch), the system identifies high-deforestation municipalities and selects emblematic cases for analysis. Companies are scored from 0 to 100 based on the number of linked cases, total area deforested, illegal deforestation in protected areas, responsiveness, case resolution, and transparency. The tracker monitors seven soy traders (ADM, AMAGGI, Bunge, Cargill, COFCO International, LDC, and the ALZ partnership) and three beef packers (JBS, Marfrig, and Minerva), utilizing a certainty scale (High or Medium) to validate supply chain links through public documents, government data, and company responses.

• The tracker monitors deforestation and native vegetation conversion in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes of Brazil, specifically targeting the supply chains of seven soy traders and three beef packers.
• The monitored soy traders include Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM), AMAGGI, Bunge, Cargill, COFCO International, Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), and the ALZ partnership (AMAGGI, LDC, and Zen-Noh). The monitored beef packers are JBS, Marfrig, and Minerva.
• Companies are assigned a score from 0 to 100 based on six performance categories: total linked cases, total area of deforestation/conversion, area of potentially illegal deforestation in Legal Reserves or Permanent Preservation Areas (APP), responsiveness, case resolution, and transparency.
• Deforestation is detected using satellite alert systems, specifically DETER from the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and GLAD from Global Forest Watch, with cases filtered by the five municipalities with the highest deforestation areas per biome each month.
• The methodology defines 'potentially illegal deforestation' as that occurring within Legal Reserve or Permanent Preservation Area (APP) boundaries as self-declared in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR).
• Supply chain links are categorized by certainty levels; 'High' certainty for soy is established via company confirmation, public documents, government grain warehouse data (SICARM), or the Minimum Price Guarantee Policy (PGPM) within the last 2 years. For beef, 'High' certainty is established via the Animal Transport Guide (GTA) for direct supply.

APA

Mighty Earth (2023). SOY & CATTLE TRACKER METHODOLOGY. https://mightyearth.org/pt/metodologia/

Chicago

Mighty Earth. SOY & CATTLE TRACKER METHODOLOGY. 2023. https://mightyearth.org/pt/metodologia/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Mighty Earth |title=SOY & CATTLE TRACKER METHODOLOGY |date=15 December 2023 |url=https://mightyearth.org/pt/metodologia/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mightyearth2023soy, author = {{Mighty Earth}}, title = {{SOY \& CATTLE TRACKER METHODOLOGY}}, institution = {Mighty Earth}, year = {2023}, month = dec, url = {https://mightyearth.org/pt/metodologia/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }