JBS agrees to protect Amazon forest

SAO PAULO, Brazil – JBS S.A. has agreed to make a commitment to Greenpeace to not buy products from protected areas in the Amazon region of South America.

The world’s largest beef company said in a Notice to the Market posted on its website on Sept. 24 that it would seek to abide by practices that “eliminate deforestation” in the Amazon biome.

Jeremiah O’Callaghan, JBS’s investor relations director, said the company has always emphasized conservation and natural preservation. “The company’s commitment with nature represents the continuation of its business,” he said. “This commitment goes beyond the current regulation and reflects voluntary and pioneering actions in the sector.”

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Greenpeace International, an organization dedicated to environmental protection, did not respond in time for a comment on this story. But on its website, Greenpeace claims the Brazilian cattle industry “is the leading cause of deforestation in the Amazon,” helping to drive global climate change.

O’Callaghan said JBS will adopt Zero Deforestation policies “within the entire supply chain” and would reject “products originated from properties involved in the occupation of indigenous land and protected areas.”

Zero Deforestation is a private initiative to return land to native people and protect the Amazonian forest.

“The company also agrees that cattle and beef products can only be sourced from ranches or rural properties that are committed to the adoption of a reliable production traceability system which, besides including the present requirements, also includes environmental demands which will eliminate deforestation,” O’Callaghan said. “JBS will formally communicate these requirements to its suppliers and those who do not comply will be excluded from the company’s supplier list.”

JBS has 25 processing plants in nine Brazilian states and six plants in four Argentine provinces. Its U.S. operations are headquartered in Greeley, and the company also operates in Australia and Italy.