JBS is an Environmental and Legal Liability
Owners of JBS, the world’s largest meat company, pleaded guilty to paying more than $150 million in bribes to Brazilian officials. In response to the news, Mighty Earth Vice President and Global Director for Latin America Sarah Lake released the following statement:
“The saddest thing about this news is that nobody is surprised by JBS’s criminality anymore. Just this week, we’ve learned that the company’s owners will pay more than $250 million in fines to Brazil and the U.S. because of an extensive bribery scheme; officials in Brazil brought their eighteenth civil suit against JBS over its failure to protect employees from COVID-19; and Pilgrim’s Pride, a JBS brand, just reached a $100 million plea agreement over price-fixing in the poultry industry.
“No responsible enterprise should be doing business with JBS. In addition to their rampant lawbreaking, JBS is one of the companies driving the destruction of the Amazon. Climate-changing deforestation and raging fires are clearing the way for more JBS cattle even now. People are increasingly demanding products produced sustainably, and will punish stores that stock JBS brands by looking elsewhere for more responsible options.
“JBS is an environmental and legal liability. Financiers should divest from JBS to avoid the significant financial risk, and supermarkets should drop JBS as a supplier to avoid being complicit in criminal behavior. Every day these financiers and supermarkets fail to act is another day JBS is illegally making money by exploiting people and the planet.”
More on JBS:
