A new investigation, titled “Secret Ingredient: A year of inaction,” reveals that chicken products sold by major European supermarkets and fast-food chains are still connected to soy sourced from deforested lands in Brazil. The report follows up on a previous exposé and confirms that agri-trading giants Cargill and Bunge continue to source soy from producers with a history of environmental abuses in Brazil’s Cerrado biome, a vital carbon sink.
Despite obtaining some permits, satellite imagery shows that two of these producers, Franciosi Agro and the Mizote Group, have cleared an additional 986 hectares since May 2024, an area that includes forests and is now non-compliant with the upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
The EUDR, set to take effect in late 2025, bans products from lands deforested after 2020, even if the producers hold local permits. The report highlights that soy from these illegally converted areas, which do not meet the legal definition of forests used by the EUDR, will be banned under the new regulation.
The investigation also found that Franciosi Agro and the Horita Group, another producer implicated in the report, were certified by the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS). RTRS launched an investigation and suspended their certificates a year ago but has yet to reach a conclusion, citing a lack of internal capacity.
Beyond environmental damage, the report underscores the social impact of this agricultural expansion. Traditional communities in the region face land encroachment and pesticide contamination, with the Horita Group operating on a notorious agricultural mega-estate known for land grabbing.
While Bunge and Cargill claim to conduct regular checks on their suppliers and deny sourcing from illegal areas, they did not specify measures to stop sourcing from the exposed producers after being presented with evidence of new deforestation. This ongoing situation highlights the challenges of ensuring a deforestation-free supply chain and the continued threat to the Cerrado biome and its inhabitants.
