Audits of Brazil beef supply chain show progress reducing links to Amazon deforestation

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -A settlement involving federal prosecutors and Brazilian meat packers has helped wean much of the country's beef supply chain from links to Amazon rainforest destruction, according to company audits of their cattle purchases in six states that prosecutors unveiled on Wednesday. The settlement, called TAC da Carne, requires meatpackers to audit their cattle purchases to determine whether the animals are being raised in areas that are protected, were illegally deforested, or have other irregularities. The initiative does not cover indirect cattle suppliers, which remain a big part of the beef industry's supply chain.