Colombia’s new law requires government agencies and private companies to integrate cattle-tracking, land ownership and deforestation-monitoring systems to identify livestock linked to forest loss and keep them out of supply chains, according to the Associated Press.
Supporters said the measure could help tackle one of the leading causes of deforestation in Colombia’s Amazon, where cattle ranching has long been associated with land grabbing and the clearing of forests for pasture.
The law, enacted June 9, aims to close longstanding loopholes that have allowed cattle raised on illegally cleared land — including inside protected areas and national parks — to enter legitimate supply chains and eventually reach supermarkets and export markets, according to advocates cited by the AP.
Colombia seeks to reverse decades of forest loss, much of it driven by the expansion of cattle ranching into previously forested areas. Environmental groups said the new framework makes Colombia the first tropical forest country to require proof that beef supply chains are free of deforestation.
The legislation was not immediately published, and the timeline for implementation has not been specified.