Brazil Lawsuits Slam JBS, Meatpackers On Protected Land

Meat processing giant JBS SA and three other slaughterhouses are facing lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in environmental damages for allegedly purchasing cattle raised illegally in a protected area in the Brazilian Amazon, Fabiano Maisonnave reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Of the 17 lawsuits, three name JBS, along with farmers who allegedly sold 227 cattle raised in Jaci-Parana. I Photo: JBS

The lawsuits, filed from December 5 to 12 by the western Brazilian state of Rondonia, target the exploitation of a protected area known as Jaci-Parana, once rainforest but now mostly transformed into grassland.

Despite a law forbidding commercial cattle in the reserve, some 216,000 head now graze on pasture there, as reported by Rubens Valente for Brazil’s Agencia Publica.

The lawsuits aim to put a price on the destruction of old-growth rainforest, with court filings pegging damages in the reserve at approximately $1 billion. It is unclear whether the hundreds of other invaders in Jaci-Parana will also be sued for compensation, as reported by Camille Fassett for AP.

The lawsuits contain a type of evidence that is getting the attention of deforestation experts and veterans of Brazil’s illegal cattle trade: Transfer documents showing cows going straight to the slaughterhouse from protected areas, with the information apparently provided by the illegal ranchers themselves.

Of the 17 lawsuits, three name JBS, along with farmers who allegedly sold 227 cattle raised in Jaci-Parana.

The suits seek approximately $3.4 million for “invading, occupying, exploiting, causing environmental damage, preventing natural regeneration, and/or taking economic advantage” of the protected lands.

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