He added that if the ranchers were found to have cleared the rainforest, their markers will be removed, preventing them from selling their cattle.

The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) has developed the system in collaboration with other stakeholders.

On-site tests of the new system are slated to start Jan 1 in an area spanning 150,000 sq km in southern Para state, the easternmost region of the Amazon, where 15,000 cattle ranches operate.

The satellite monitoring will be expanded to the entire state over a period of 18 months and later to other parts of the Amazon region, a spokesman of the agriculture ministry told EFE.