The French supermarket giant Casino is being sued by a coalition of NGOs – including indigenous peoples from Brazil and Colombia – over its sale of beef linked to illegal deforestation in the Amazon.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in a French court, comes after Casino was “officially put on notice” last September and warned to comply with laws regarding its supply chains in South America, where it is a leading supermarket retailer.

It follows a field investigation in June by the French NGO Envol Vert, which found that Casino’s suppliers “regularly purchased” beef from three slaughterhouses involved in deforestation and land-grabbing activities in the Amazon, as well as Brazil’s Cerrado savannah eco-region.

The lawsuit marks the first time a French supermarket chain has been legally pursued for deforestation, land grabbing and loss of livelihoods under 2017 duty of vigilance laws requiring French companies worldwide to guard against human rights and environmental violations in their supply chains.

Indigenous organisations are seeking compensation for the damage caused to their ancestral lands and the impact on their livelihoods...

Casino has declined to comment on the lawsuit, although in the past the group has claimed to have “rigorous” controls throughout its supply chains.