Meat producer recommits to Greenpeace’s deforestation prohibition activism

JBS SA, a global meat producer, has withdrawn a lawsuit against the environmental activist organization Greenpeace and will be working to avoid purchasing cattle from restricted regions in Brazil, according to a report from Reuters.

In June, JBS allegedly broke an agreement it committed to in 2009 that prohibited Brazilian meat companies from purchasing cattle raised on illegally deforested land or farms convicted of using slave labor. After Greenpeace accused the company of breaking the contract by publishing a public report claiming flaws in their system of control, JBS filed a lawsuit against the organization for false allegations and causing it to lose business.

However, the two parties were able to resolve their dispute and JBS has now agreed that all of its cattle purchases in the Amazon will be checked with deforestation monitoring methods by 2014.

“With this new chapter of the public commitment by JBS, we reinforce our objective of conciliating production and forest protection,” José Augusto de Carvalho Júnior, president of JBS for Mercosul, said in a company press release.

JBS also presented a public and independent audit on its company website to display its overall methods of cattle purchases. Marcelo Furtado, executive director of Greenpeace Brazil, said that it is imperative for those in the public and private sectors along with consumers to work toward a zero deforestation policy.

By working with Brazilian lawyers, it is possible for companies like Greenpeace and the meat producer to develop resolutions to their problems instead of going to court. Law firms in Brazil are able to provide dispute resolution tactics that can solve contract issues and other transactional problems between foreign companies conducting business dealings in Brazil.