In an unusual series of legal actions, Brazilian prosecutors have sued multinational meatpacker JBS and three smaller slaughterhouses for allegedly buying cattle directly from illegal ranches in a protected area.
An influential system overseen by retailers and clothing makers ranks petroleum-based synthetics like “vegan leather” as more environmentally sound than natural fibers.
President Joe Biden has declared war on Big Meat. Yup, Biden’s war. The president pinky swears new rules and a billion dollars in new funding will somehow end decades of what amounts to a meat monopoly in the beef, pork and chicken industries.
An examination of Brazil’s immense tannery industry shows how hides from illegally deforested ranches can easily reach the global marketplace. In the United States, much of the demand for Brazilian leather comes from automakers.
All of JBS’s beef plants in the U.S. were shuttered on Tuesday, and many of its pork and poultry plants were affected, according to a union and Facebook posts meant for employees.
The number of vegetarians in Brazil doubled over a six-year period, which has given rise to a booming plant-based industry that is seeking to turn meatpacking plants obsolete.
The executive action signals that decisions around whether to close or reopen plants should be driven by the federal government, not local authorities.
