In the first quarter of 2008, the two Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Para, where 70% of deforestation is occurring, witnessed a near tripling of the area being destroyed compared to the same period last year. Luis Laranja, Farm Policy Coordinator for Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Brazil, estimates that 50 million hectares of former rainforest are currently being used to graze cattle. After the land can no longer support grazing and is converted to growing soy, approximately 80 percent of those crops are used to feed animals bred for meat production.

Our grateful appreciation, WWF and all involved in raising this alert as to the peril of the Amazon rainforest. We pray that world governments will help Brazil truly reverse the trend of deforestation caused by farming animals and their feed crops for food.     

http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=59952, http://www.mariri.net/content/view/38/1/,http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/feed/, http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press/reports/eating-up-the-amazon.pdf