Brazilian Soy King Wins Golden Chainsaw Award

Greenpeace's online contest to determine who was most deserving of the Golden Chainsaw Award for Amazon forest destruction is over, the results are in, and the winner is Blairo Maggi with 37% of the vote (10,348 votes). He is the governor of the Mato Grosso state in Brazil and a very important soy producer. Under his administration, the state became number one at deforestation with 48% of total forest loss in the Amazon between 2003-2004. Brazilian president Lula da Silva came in second with 26% of the vote (7,314).

Three comedians from a popular TV show in Brazil, Pânico na TV (Panic on TV) tried to deliver the Golden Chainsaw statuette to Blairo Maggi on Wednesday at a school in Cuiabá, capital of Mato Grosso. However the State Governor refused to accept the award and the presenters were removed from the school by security. More than 1,000 people, including hundreds of children, responded to this eviction by calling on Maggi to show up and accept the statuette, shouting: "Maggi, Maggi… Accept it, accept it" and "Protect nature." But to their disappointment, Maggi had left through a back door. [...]

The other nominees for the person who most contributed to record levels of Amazon destruction were the Federal Ministers José Dirceu (Civil House), Antonio Palocci (Treasury) and Roberto Rodrigues (Agriculture) and the Governor of the Para State Simão Jatene.

During 2003-2004, 26,130 square kilometers of the Amazon forest were cut down, the second biggest yearly loss of forest in Brazilian history.

::'Soya King' wins Golden Chainsaw award, ::Golden Chainsaw Results