She’s the world’s most expensive cow, and part of Brazil’s plan to put beef on everyone’s plate

By DAVID BILLER
Associated Press

UBERABA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil has hundreds of millions of cows, but one in particular is extraordinary. Her massive, snow-white body is watched over by security cameras and an armed guard. She’s worth $4.1 million. According to Guinness World Records, Viatina-19 FIV Mara Movéis is the most expensive cow ever sold at auction. Climate scientists agree that people need to consume less beef. That’s because it’s the largest agricultural source of greenhouse gasses and a driver of Amazon deforestation. But the cattle industry is a major source of Brazilian economic development and the government is striving to conquer new export markets. The world’s top beef exporter wants everyone, everywhere to eat its beef.