‘Passing the cattle’: Repercussions of Brazilian livestock farming on human and environmental health

Abstract

Brazil is a global leader in the export of agricultural monocultures and beef, and the productive processes of this sector affect the health of populations in these territories. The objective was to describe livestock production in Brazil, state of Mato Grosso, and municipality of Cáceres, and to reflect on its repercussions for human and environmental health. An essay was conducted based on articles, official documents, and indexed databases, using the theoretical framework of the social determination of health and development surveillance. Results showed that pastureland exceeds the area planted with monocultures in Brazil; Mato Grosso has the largest cattle herd in the country and the highest number of fire outbreaks, as does Cáceres, which has the fourth largest herd and leads in water loss and wildfires in the state. Contamination by pesticides, particulate pollution, bacterial resistance due to antibiotic use, and climate change resulting from exportoriented agribusiness cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems, chronic pesticide poisoning, arboviral diseases, food insecurity, among others. Development surveillance must be incorporated into territories where economic production processes predominate, monitoring the environmental health harms that affect human health and seeking to transform and promote other forms of production that are healthy and sustainable.