Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the implications of territorial and economic power on environmental impacts, traceability regulation, and the civil society campaigns for transparency based on key linkages between beef sales in Colombian supermarkets and Amazon deforestation.

Paper long abstract:

In 2021, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) revealed in a comprehensive report that the sale of beef in Colombian supermarkets was directly contributing to illegal deforestation in the protected Amazon forests. The report establishes a link between the beef sold in two of the nation's leading supermarket chains and the alarming deforestation observed in the Serranía del Chiribiquete National Natural Park. Remarkably, this park not only stands as the largest continental protected area in Colombia, covering 4.3 million hectares, but also represents the world's largest protected tropical forest. The report goes further, exposing a concerning connection between the beef value chain of these supermarkets and the funding of non-state armed groups. These groups ostensibly control the territories from which the cattle is sourced. In response to these findings, the implicated supermarkets released press statements vehemently denying any correlation between their beef products and Amazon deforestation, and defending their sustainable beef production model. The EIA report, coupled with the supermarkets' responses, sparked a robust civil society campaign advocating for transparency in beef sourcing and urging corporate responsibility in environmental protection. Within this context, this paper critically examines power dynamics, focusing on territorial control in cattle raising and economic dominance in retail beef sales. Analyzing the intricate facets of the beef value chain—cattle raising and beef sales—this paper provides essential insights into the far-reaching implications of power on environmental impacts, traceability regulation, and the ongoing civil society campaigns for product transparency.