Brazilian authorities are seeking 2 billion reals ($1.2 billion) in fines against 14 companies accused of buying beef sourced from ranches that have illegally cleared Amazon rainforest or exploited workers in the state of Acre, reports AFP.
Federal prosecutors in Acre say that illegal beef will generate a 500 real ($300) fine per pound sold. The action comes after more than a year of efforts to engage the beef industry.
Authorities singled out JBS-Friboi, the world’s largest meatpacker. They noted that the firm has continued to buy meat from ranches that use slave labor and chop down rainforest.
Brazil’s environmental enforcement agency IBAMA is also named in the suit. Prosecutors say the agency failed to enforce environmental saws.
The news comes nearly two years after Brazil’s biggest meatpackers agreed to a moratorium on new forest clearing for cattle production. The agreement was spurred by a Greenpeace campaign that linked some of the world’s most prominent brands #8212; Nike, Timberland, and Adidas #8212; to deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. The companies responded by refusing to buy cattle products unless they were shown to be free of deforestation.
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