"We are a fragmented country with a lot of different social conditions and problems. But we aren't going backward in Brazil, only forward. Brazil has the desire to become a force in the world economy - with that comes the desire to be the world's premier beef producer." Antonio Netto, Independencia founder and president (a leading Brazilian cattle farming and meat packing conglomerate). Brazil is already a beef-producing machine - they are the world's largest exporter, followed by Australia and Argentina. They have 170 million+ cattle and 200 million acres of undeveloped savannah ready for agricultural expansion. Combine this with plenty of water, a year round growing season and inexpensive labour and you have a, nation that is poised to become a beef superpower. Between 1990 and 2001, the percentage of Europe's meat imports from Brazil rose from 40 to 70 percent. In the eight years from 1995 to 2003, Brazil's volume of beef exports increased more than fivefold and increased to a value of 1.5 billion USD. Brazil is increasing calf crops, reducing slaughter ages, have better forage production (two growing seasons) and is improving overall profitability of their industry. And Brazil's food production strength is not limited to beef. Between 1965 and 2003, Brazil's production growth in poultry grew a staggering 3,619%, compared to a world production increase of 691%. This is overwhelmingly broiler meat which, in recent years has shifted to be predominantly broiler parts, rather than whole broilers, moving away from commodity type products and into value added products to increase profit margins. Brazil is the world's fourth largest pork producer, next to China, the EU and the U.S. Canada is number five. In 2004, Brazil produced 2.77 million tons of pork, while Canada produced 1.97. As Brazilians are not big pork eaters, the majority of pork production is exported. More About Argentina More About Biofuels