Brazil police probe chemical spraying to clear Amazon land for pasture

Saopaulo,UPDATED: Aug 5, 2026 00:14 IST

Police in Brazil on Tuesday launched an operation against a group suspected of using chemicals to clear a large area of the Amazon rainforest and then turning the land into commercial pasture, officials said. The action is linked to alleged damage to 10,180 hectares of native forest in the northern state of Para.

Authorities said police carried out 13 search warrants and imposed three precautionary measures as part of the operation. No arrests were made. Investigators said the suspects were linked to the spraying of chemicals over forest land in the city of Uruara to weaken the vegetation before the trees were cut down.

The cleared land was later converted into pasture for commercial use, according to investigators. It was not immediately clear when the chemicals were applied or when the deforestation took place.

Authorities said the group under investigation was involved in activities ranging from buying chemicals to hiding environmental information. The suspects could face charges including environmental crimes, illegal use of toxic substances, fraud in environmental proceedings and criminal conspiracy.

The Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, plays a major role in regulating the climate well beyond South America. Scientists have warned that its depletion could speed up global warming and affect agriculture as far away as the US Midwest and parts of Europe.

Brazil has made progress in reducing deforestation, but cattle ranching remains its main driver, with ranchers clearing large stretches of forest for grazing. According to MapBiomas, an organisation that tracks land use in Brazil, deforestation in the Amazon fell by 23.5 per cent in 2025 from the previous year. Even so, nearly 290,000 hectares of forest, or 716,605 acres, was cleared, with agriculture and cattle ranching accounting for 99 per cent of the loss of native vegetation.

In sum, the operation focuses on alleged use of chemicals to damage Amazon forest land in Para before clearing it for pasture, even as Brazil continues efforts to bring down deforestation in the region.

With PTI Inputs

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