Letter written by Ambassador Eduardo Roxo of the Embassy of Brazil, published in The Guardian on 5 June 2009.

Re your article on cattle ranching in the Amazon (Forests pay the price as demand for beef soars, 1 June), it should be acknowledged that measures introduced by the Brazilian government to combat illegal deforestation - such as satellite monitoring and an intensification of federal police operations - are starting to produce results. In the last five years there has been a clear downward trend in the rate of deforestation. In 2008, even with the small increase that took place over the course of the year, the total deforested area was 65% smaller than in 2004. And in 2009 the total area deforested between February and April, measured using satellite images, was the smallest in any three-month period in the last 20 years.

It should also be noted that less than 2% of exported Brazilian beef comes from the Amazon region. The European Union demands complete traceability with regard to the geographical origin of imports of Brazilian beef, and none of the farms currently licensed under this system are in the Amazon. Furthermore, if demand for Brazilian beef and leather remains high, it is worth bearing in mind that outside the Amazon region Brazil has vast areas of idle land - about 200m hectares - on which cattle could be raised.

The Brazilian government welcomes independent studies on deforestation, is absolutely open to debate with NGOs and has established clear channels for the submission of evidence of suspected cases of illegal cattle ranching.

Eduardo Roxo
Deputy head of mission
Embassy of Brazil