The tree cutting emissions from Brazilian beef By Ellen Nemitz30th June 2021 With the help of the fast-growing eucalyptus tree, Brazil has created its first carbon-neutral beef. C Cows are no strangers to methane. As a cow goes about its daily life, browsing through pasture or chewing the cud in the shade of a tree, it will typically emit 70-120kg (150-260lb) methane a year. This methane is a potent greenhouse gas, trapping heat in the atmosphere many times more efficiently than CO2 does. One country with a big incentive to make its beef more sustainable is Brazil, the world's largest exporter of beef, providing almost 20% of the world's exports. Researchers at the state-owned Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) have been searching for a way to counteract the emissions from the country's massive cattle herd – culminating in 2020 with a certified brand of Carbon Neutral Beef.