Brazilian beef giant JBS has defended its record on sourcing cattle and stood by its sustainability efforts amid criticism from Greenpeace campaigners.

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JBS, the world’s largest beef processor, has come under fire from Greenpeace for allegedly “fuelling Amazon destruction”.


The environmental pressure group said last week that JBS should join the likes of Marfrig in an immediate moratorium on the purchase of cattle from farms involved in new deforestation in the Amazon.


“We understand that all the measures we have taken over the years and in the recent past are tantamount to a moratorium and may well represent a more profound sustainability programme than others,” JBS investor relations director Jerry O’Callaghan told just-food.


“As a farmer involved in the meat industry in Brazil for 28 years, I know these matters well and I can assure you that the real policies that will effectively preserve the forest land and provide a sustainable future are not the ones that we read about in sensational headlines from NGOs, which are more concerned about the advancement of the image of the NGO rather than the cause. I am not referring to any specific NGO. I have seen many come and go in the last 20 years.”

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O’Callaghan added: “JBS has publicly committed itself towards boycotting cattle purchasing from any rancher who is in any way deemed irregular in relation to preserving the forests including the Amazon forest. We continue to have a coherent sustainability policy and cannot understand the reasoning behind this NGO depicting a negative image regarding our company.”


O’Callaghan insisted that Greenpeace had yet to make an “official approach” to JBS but he maintained the company was open to working with any NGO to “advance sustainable production”.