When outbreaks of COVID-19 at meat processing plants in the U.S. slowed production, American wholesalers and grocery chains turned to foreign beef suppliers. Producers in the small country of Nicaragua were happy to fulfill U.S. demand -- but doing so has come at a high cost for local communities…

Anuradha Mittal of the Oakland Institute and Lottie Cunningham, human rights defender and President of Centro por la Justicia y Derechos Humanos de la Costa Atlántica de Nicaragua (CEDHJUCAN) affirm cattle ranchers continue their activities in indigenous protected lands in a context of violence against members of the communities. They ask US citizens not to purchase any beef from Nicaragua. Cattle business representatives declare that every private entity participating in cattle raising follows sanitary rules and that cases of economic activity in indigenous lands are rare.