SAO PAULO, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Brazilian environment

agency Ibama has notified 12 meatpacking plants, including two

operated by JBS SA, for their alleged involvement in

a scheme to buy cattle from illegally cleared land in the Amazon

rainforest, according to a document seen by Reuters on Friday.

Ibama said in a statement on Thursday, without naming any

parties, that 12 plants "are under investigation for acquiring

suspicious cattle, triangulated with 'clean' farms, to disguise

their illegal origin."

Ibama added that it had already fined six unnamed

meatpackers in 4 million reais ($740,000) for "direct purchase

of 8,172 head of cattle from embargoed areas."

JBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Privately owned Frigol and Mercurio are also among the 12

implicated beef producers, the document showed.

Frigol said in a statement that Ibama had made a mistake,

adding it had not bought cattle from the farm the agency said

had been illegally razed.

Mercurio Chairman Lincoln Bueno told Reuters a

third-party firm monitors the origin of the animals it

processes, adding purchases are blocked from properties with

environmental and labor irregularities.

As part of Ibama's investigation, the agency said it seized

more than 7,000 head of cattle that were on 2,100 hectares of

farms it had blocked from commercial use after illegal

deforestation.

"Producing, selling or buying cattle from these embargoed

areas is an environmental crime and those responsible are

fined," Ibama's statement said.

In addition to seizing the cattle, Ibama said it fined the

wrongdoers a total of 49 million reais ($9.04 million), without

specifying if they were companies or persons.

($1 = 5.4212 reais)