JBS exposed again for buying cattle from farm linked to illegal deforestation

Our new investigation has revealed that, in 2024, JBS purchased at least 790 cattle from Barra Mansa Farm, which has documented links to illegal deforestation in Brazil’s Serra de Ricardo Franco State Park.¹

This follows a 2020 investigation, reported by The Guardian, which showed JBS sourcing from the same farm between 2018 and 2019. Despite the public outcry that followed, the company appears to have made little meaningful change.

How the cattle laundering scheme works

The new findings highlight a wider illegal practice known as cattle laundering, where animals raised on protected or illegally cleared land are transferred to “clean” farms with valid paperwork before being sold on to major meat companies.

In this case, Fazenda Paredão (Paredão Ranch), operating on illegally cleared land - the equivalent of 80,384 tennis courts ² - within the Serra de Ricardo Franco State Park, transferred 1,285 cattle to Barra Mansa Farm in 2024 ³. Barra Mansa then sold 790 cattle to a JBS facility in Pontes e Lacerda, about 140 km from the park.

The JBS facility is authorised to export to the EU, China, and Canada, raising serious concerns about the traceability of beef reaching international markets.

The Serra de Ricardo Franco State Park is a protected area spanning parts of the Amazon and Cerrado rainforests and the Pantanal wetlands. It provides vital habitat for wildlife under threat, including the giant otter (endangered), giant anteater (vulnerable) and orange-breasted falcon (near threatened).⁴

Repeated warnings ignored

The findings echo the Greenpeace 2020 “Ricardo Franco State Park Case Study”, which documented similar links between JBS and the same deforested areas.⁵

At the time, JBS responded by insisting it had a “zero tolerance approach to deforestation.”

However, the latest investigation suggests the company still lacks effective traceability and continues to profit from a supply chain tainted by deforestation.

JBS under scrutiny ahead of COP30

Despite these serious concerns, JBS is expected to attend COP30 next month to promote its “sustainability” initiatives.⁶

Factory farming and deforestation are connected

Every day, JBS slaughters around 13 million animals globally⁷. Pigs, cows, chickens, and lambs who are all sentient beings that can feel pain and fear. Undercover investigations have exposed horrific conditions for many of these animals.⁸

In 2024, JBS was removed from the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for failing to provide an adequate plan to reduce its emissions despite claiming to lead on sustainability.⁹

World leaders must act

Governments and industry leaders attending COP30 must hold JBS and other industrial meat producers accountable.

A transition to humane, sustainable farming is urgently needed to protect animals, people, and the planet — and to put an end to the destruction caused by factory farming.