Meatpacking firm JBS has opened three new 'Green Offices', in the Brazilian municipalities of Araguaína (TO), Naviraí (MS), and Vilhena (RO), extending its Green Offices (GO) programme to 18 service points.
Each Green Office offers free legal and environmental advice to support ranchers in meeting environmental criteria, both within the JBS supply chain and beyond, the company said.
Supporting Ranchers
Since launching the programme in May 2021, the Green Offices have supported more than 4,800 properties in the North, Midwest, and North-Eastern regions of Brazil in meeting environmental compliance and standards requirements.
'The actions of the GOs allow JBS to closely support cattlemen, helping them in each step towards environmental actions and sustainable supply chain planning, and providing them with the technical guidance for new processes,' the company said in a statement.
According to the company, there are now 1,000 hectares devoted to forest recovery, an area equivalent to around 1,000 soccer pitches.
The cities where the three new offices will be located were selected based on data collected in a survey conducted by the sustainability team at Friboi, a Brazilian beef brand owned by JBS.
Read More: JBS Signs Partnership With Banco do Brasil To Finance Environmental Regulation
Purchasing Policy
"The Green Offices were born out of our view that simply banning cattle purchases from cattle farmers who do not comply with our purchasing policy will not solve the environmental challenges facing the country," commented Liège Correia, Friboi's sustainability director.
"We need to create inclusive actions and positive impact by providing free social, environmental, and technical assistance and support producers in the process of making their properties compliant. This way, we can contribute to making the Brazilian cattle-raising chain even more sustainable."
Read More: Lula's Changes At Brazil Farm Ministry Draw Cries From Food Security Agency
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest supply chain news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
