"Revealed: world’s largest meat company may break Amazon deforestation pledges again", April 17, 2025

The world’s largest meat company, JBS, appears poised to break its promise to eliminate deforestation from its Amazon beef supply chain by the end of 2025. According to ranchers and union leaders interviewed in Pará and Rondônia, the goal is considered unrealistic... The company pledged to ensure that all cattle it purchases are free from links to deforestation, but interviewees said it would be “impossible” to meet this deadline.

The investigation by The Guardian, Unearthed, and Repórter Brasil found widespread disbelief about the feasibility of the target. Ranchers cited persistent issues with illegal land occupation and “cattle laundering,” a practice where animals raised on deforested land are moved to compliant properties before sale... One rancher said, “They certainly have the will to do it… but I’d say straight away: that’s impossible.”

JBS responded by contesting the report’s conclusions, stating that drawing inferences from a sample of 30 farmers while ignoring the more than 40,000 registered suppliers is “entirely irresponsible.” The company emphasized its investments in monitoring systems and its collaboration with the state of Pará, including a plan to tag 26 million cattle by 2026... Despite these efforts, ranchers interviewed said the structural problems were too deep to resolve by the self-imposed deadline...