The Brazilian Roundtable on Sustainable Livestock (GTPS) went to Paraguay to learn about sustainable beef production in the Gran Chaco region. From May 30 to June 2, GTPS Executive Manager Luiza Bruscato participated in the Paraguay Innovation Tour. The tour, organized by the Paraguayan Roundtable on Sustainable Beef and the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, included visits to beef and dairy cooperatives, slaughterhouses, calving facilities, silvopastoral systems, current research projects, and other practices.
“It was a week of great learning in the Paraguayan Gran Chaco. Alongside local specialists, colleagues from South America and other countries, as well as GTPS partner organizations, I had an intense experience that will undoubtedly bring many benefits to the Brazilian Roundtable and our members,” emphasized Luiza.
GTPS members Minerva Foods and National Wildlife Federation (NWF) also participated in the event. In total, there were more than 70 participants from 10 countries, including 10 Brazilians. All the sustainable livestock roundtables from Latin America participated in the meeting, and they also held parallel sessions to exchange experiences and promote joint actions for the future.
In addition to field visits, a conference was held in Asunción, covering topics such as climate change, the future of livestock farming, and sustainable beef production in Paraguay, including a presentation by Embrapa researcher Renato Rodrigues. In 2019, the event also took place in Brazil, visiting production at Fazenda Água Viva, a GTPS member. The Global Roundtable plans to continue organizing events in other partner countries.
### Highlights of Sustainable Beef Production in Paraguay:
- The Gran Chaco is the predominant biome, covering about 60% of Paraguay's national territory.
- The main breeds raised in the region include Brahman, Angus, Braford, Brangus, and Hereford.
- The cattle in the visited areas are larger and fatter compared to the same breeds in Brazil.
- The cattle are raised and feed on natural pastures, similar to the Brazilian pampas, with supplementation when necessary.
- According to local legislation, producers must preserve 25% of their land as legal reserve.
- In the Central Gran Chaco, producers organize into cooperatives, which is rare or minimal in the Brazilian meat chain.
- The Filadelfia region in the Gran Chaco has strong German colonial influence.
- The geography of the region, being a plain, greatly facilitates production.
- Crop-livestock-forest integration is a common practice.
- The region faces droughts and has saline lakes and temporary rivers; therefore, most of the water used for animals comes from rainwater collected in lagoons.
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