Deforestation and record fires in Brazil: connection with world's largest meat processor JBS | Greenpeace int.

Meat and deforestation: A new report by the NGO Greenpeace shows a direct connection between the global meat industry, Deforestation and record fires. The world's largest meat processor, JBS, and its leading competitors Marfrig and Minerva slaughtered cattle purchased by ranchers in connection with the 2020 fires that destroyed a third of the world's largest inland wetland in the Pantanal region of Brazil. The Brazilian meat giants, in turn, supply Pantanal beef to food giants such as McDonald's, Burger King, the French groups Carrefour and Casino, as well as to markets around the world.

LINK: OFFICIAL REPORT on the meat industry and deforestation

“Fire paves the way for industrial meat expansion across South America. In light of the global Covid-19 pandemic as well as biodiversity and the climate crisis, the continued targeted use of fire within the sector is an international scandal. How to eradicate it is a burning problem, ”said Daniela Montalto, food and forest activist at Greenpeace UK.

Meat deforestation: the context

"Minced meat from the Pantanal" documents 15 ranchers in connection with the Pantanal fires in 2020. At least 73.000 hectares - an area larger than Singapore - burned within the boundaries of these ranchers' properties. In 2018-2019, these ranchers supplied at least 14 meat processing plants from JBS, Marfrig and Minerva. Nine of the ranchers had also been linked to other environmental violations, such as illegal evictions or irregularities in the registration of property, at the time of the detected trade with meat processors.

Brazilian President Bolsonaro's “anti-environmental agenda” continues to devastate the Amazon rainforest [1] - In the midst of the chaos and economic upheaval caused by the global Covid-19 pandemic, Brazilian beef exports are still setting new standards : All time high in 2020.

“The world's largest wetland - a critical habitat for jaguars - is literally going up in smoke. JBS and the other leading meat processors, Marfrig and Minerva, are ignoring the destruction, ”said Daniela Montalto, Food and Forest activist at Greenpeace UK.

In January 2021, Greenpeace International alerted JBS, Marfrig and Minerva to the environmental and legal risks in their Pantanal supply base illustrated by these ranchers. This included not only connections to the extensive fires, but also livestock deliveries from ranches that were sanctioned for illegal eviction or where property registrations were suspended or canceled.

Deforestation through meat: industry without insight

Despite Greenpeace's findings, all meat processors claimed that all ranches they had supplied direct were in compliance with their guidelines at the time of purchase. None of the meat processors gave any significant indication that they had checked their Pantanal supply base for deliberate use of fire. No one indicated that ranchers were required to adhere to their guidelines on all holdings, although Greenpeace found significant cattle movements between holdings owned by the same person. In fact, JBS has even publicly stated that it has no intention of excluding ranchers who have been caught violating their decades-old commitments. [2] [3]

“The beef industrial sector is a liability. While JBS and the other leading beef processors promise to maybe one day save the Amazon, they seem ready to slaughter the Pantanal today and turn their sustainability promises into mince. Importing countries, financiers and meat buyers like McDonald's, Burger King or the French companies Carrefour and Casino must end their complicity with environmental destruction. Closing the forest destroyer market is not enough, it is time to phase out industrial meat. “Said Daniela Montalto, food and forest activist at Greenpeace UK.

REMARKS:

The deforestation of the Amazon in August 1 and July 2019 corresponded to approximately 2020 square kilometers, which corresponds to an increase of 11.088 percent compared to the same period of the previous year: PRODES. In August 2019, ranchers are said to have set fire to the Amazon, a massively coordinated "day of fire" in support of Brazilian President Bolsonaro's plan to open the rainforest to development.

[2] The extent of the ecological and social destruction of JBS became a global scandal in 2009 when Greenpeace International published: Slaughter the Amazon This revealed how JBS and other key players in the Brazilian beef industry have been linked to hundreds of ranches in the Amazon, including some related to illegal deforestation and other destructive practices, as well as modern slavery.

According to this report, JBS and three of Brazil's other major meat processors signed a voluntary commitment in 2009 - a Cattle deal - to end the purchase of cattle, the production of which is linked to the deforestation of the Amazon, slave labor or the illegal occupation of indigenous and protected areas. The agreement included a commitment to ensure fully transparent monitoring, review and reporting of companies' entire supply chains - including indirect suppliers - within two years in order to deforestate their supply chain.

Despite this commitment, the company has been around for the past decade continue to be linked to corruption, deforestation and human rights scandals.

[3] Food NavigatorFebruary 22, 2021: JBS doubles deforestation as Greenpeace denounces "five more years of inactivity"

Marcio Nappo, Sustainability Director at JBS Brasil, reported on the following statements: “At the moment we will not block you [rogue suppliers] We will try to help you solve the problem. Sometimes it's paperwork, sometimes they have to create a protection plan, sometimes they have to reforest part of their property. We will help them and we will hire people to help these suppliers. "

“We consider the exclusion of the property and the supplier to be a negative approach. It won't solve the problem because they go to the nearest meat packer and try to sell it. We don't want that because it doesn't concern the problem. "