...In order to protect the rights to a healthy environment, water, and health as well as the rights of the Mayan people, and in line with the principle of caution and prevention that governs environmental matters, the Fourth Federal Court in Yucatan denied the company the revocation of the suspension. The company (PAPO) subsequently appealed the decision. The Court on Labour and Administrative Matters in the State of Yucatan will decide this Friday, November 6 on the matter.

The signatories, respectfully, would like to bring the attention of the Court to the following issues:

This is a case that the Mexican Supreme Court of Justice has recognized as important and transcendent, as it combines sensitive rights such as those protecting the health, environment and water of Mayan children given the massive impacts that the operation of this industrial pig farm could have on the "Geohydrological Reserve of Yucatan"...

A recent report by Greenpeace Mexico, The Meat That Is Consuming the Planet, discloses the principal damages caused by this industry in the Yucatan Peninsula, including water pollution of cenotes and water wells used by surrounding Mayan communities; deforestation of more than 10,000 hectares of forest for the construction of these industrial pig farms; the absence of free, prior, and informed consent before the construction of these farms; and the lack of environmental permits, such as environmental impact assessments, in 90% of cases.

The Court´s obligations is not only based on the Mexican Constitution, but also on the multiple international treaties such as the American Convention on Human Rights, ILO Convention 169, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the RAMSAR Convention and the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, which precisely establishes in article 15 the Precautionary Principle requiring all authorities to take whatever measures are necessary to prevent environmental degradation, even in the absence of absolute scientific certainty about harm. It is important to mention, that the Mexican Supreme Court of Justice itself recognizes that "once the risk is identified, the lack of scientific or technical evidence is no reason not to take the necessary measures to safeguard the environment"...