Colombia’s cattle traceability bill awaits approval as deforestation spikes

Lawmakers in Colombia are considering new regulations that would make it easier to track the movement of cattle as they’re bought and sold, with the goal of controlling illegal deforestation connected to grazing pasture.

The law would improve a digital tracking system for Colombia’s beef supply chain, allowing officials to identify cattle that were raised inside protected areas and on ranches where forests were cleared illegally for pasture.

“Colombia has made significant efforts to address this problem,” WWF said in a statement. “However, structural causes, such as grazing for land grabbing, unsustainable extensive livestock practices, unplanned transport infrastructure, the expansion of the agricultural frontier … continue to be critical factors that require comprehensive attention.”

There were around 30 million head of cattle in the country in 2023, according to estimates from the Colombian Federation of Cattle Ranchers. They make up nearly half of the country’s agricultural output, with $231 million in live exports and $32 million in meat exports in 2023. Those figures could rise as the country strengthens its bovine trade with China, the U.S. and Canada, some observers have said.

The country saw a historic plunge in deforestation in 2023, with 66,083 hectares (163,295 acres) lost. But last year it shot back up to around 107,000 hectares (264,400 acres) — a 35% increase that led some officials to call for stronger oversight. The main drivers were cattle ranching and illegal mining, according to the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.

The government has struggled to identify the origin of cattle when they’re bought and sold to different ranchers or move between slaughterhouses, critics say. This allows suppliers to skirt laws that prohibit cattle from grazing inside national parks and on deforested land.