Amazon deforestation: Casino group threatened with legal action by several NGOs
The large distributor Casino is pinned down by a group of NGOs for selling meat from farms that practice deforestation in the Amazon, land grabbing and forced labor.
CARL DE SOUZA / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
The French distribution giant is once again on the defensive: its stores would sell farmed meat linked to deforestation in the Amazon.
In a letter addressed to the CEO of the group, Jean-Charles Naouri, several NGOs accuse him of violating the principle of vigilance and threaten to take him to court.
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With our correspondent in Sao Paulo
,
Martin Bernard
Casino is sticking to its positions.
The subsidiary of the French group, which operates in 4 South American countries, issued a long press release on Monday evening.
The group affirms that it remains "
attached to the fight against deforestation linked to livestock
" in Brazil, and that it practices "
a systematic and rigorous policy of controlling the beef delivered by its suppliers
".
This is not the first time that Casino has been pinned down by NGOs.
In June, one of them, Envol Vert, reported on the existence of
four farms linked to deforestation in Brazil
, and about fifty products "
sold on the shelves, and also in the stalls. butcher
”.
Casino affirms on the contrary that the origin of its suppliers is already examined with the magnifying glass, under the leadership of the NGO Imaflora.
💥 CASINO (ECO) RESPONSIBLE FOR DEFORESTATION 🌳
After a year of investigation, we reveal the responsibility of @GroupeCasino in deforestation in Brazil.
With @canopee_asso, we are asking the Casino Group to stop its #DoubleGame with the forests, join forces with us!
pic.twitter.com/TS73sGgQUu
Envol Vert France (@Envolvert) June 30, 2020
The group of French, American and Colombian NGOs nevertheless invokes “
the duty of vigilance
”, resulting from a law of 2017, which allows them to sue in France a French multinational for its activities and those of its subsidiaries abroad , if they do not respect human and environmental rights.
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To listen: Threats to the Amazon
Three months to become compliant
The NGO Notre Affaire à Tous is part of the group of NGOs which wishes to sue the Casino group.
For Cécilia Rinaudo, the general coordinator, which is criticized at Casino, "
it is insufficient control of the origin of the beef which is marketed in South America, Brazil and Colombia in particular, and therefore a bad control of the activities of its suppliers and subcontractors
”.
“
A study published by Envol Vert, one of the partners in the action, revealed that part of the meat that was sold in the casino group's supermarkets came from livestock farms that practiced deforestation, l 'land grabbing and forced labor,
continues Cécilia Rinaudo
.
We are asking for the immediate end of supply to the slaughterhouses concerned.
This requires a new vigilance plan which will be much more precise and detailed, which will present a map which will analyze the risks of serious attacks resulting from the supply of these subsidiaries but also from the monitoring and evaluation tools.
Above all, this will also allow the establishment of an alert system to escalate problems.
"
For the group of French, American and Colombian NGOs, Casino has three months to comply and respond to their requests.
"
If Casino does not do so, we can in this case seize the competent jurisdiction and bring Casino to court
", specifies the NGO Notre Affaire à Tous.
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To listen: In Brazil, deforestation is gaining ground
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Trade and distribution
Food
Amazonia
Environment
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