25 Jan | Penryn, Cornwall
20 rebels from XR Falmouth and Penryn, dressed in forensic investigation suits and masks, cordoned off the supermarket tinned meat aisles, declaring them ‘crime scenes’ of an investigation into the destruction of the Amazon rainforests.
Relentless over-production of livestock is the main cause of rainforest destruction. JBS, the Brazilian based company is the largest meat producer in the world – they slaughter a staggering 13 million animals every day.
The company has been prosecuted for high-level corruption, animal welfare violations, price fixing, the sourcing of meat from illegally destroyed rainforest, major hygiene breaches, and modern-day slavery.
Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Asda and Morrisons all continue to stock JBS corned beef products, fuelling environmental and human rights abuses.
Shoppers responded positively to the rebels, who handed out leaflets while explaining their reasons for taking action.
One rebel said, ‘Many of the people I spoke with were horrified to hear that the supermarkets are stocking products that directly contribute to the deforestation of the Amazon.
Many expressed a wish for supermarkets to act responsibly and boycott those brands or for government legislation to prevent those brands being sold.’
