On March 3, 2021, a coalition of Brazilian and Colombian indigenous peoples’ organisations (COIAB, CPT, FEIPA, FEPOIMT and OPIAC) and international NGOs (Canopée, Envol Vert, FNE, Mighty Earth, Notre Affaire à Tous and Sherpa) sued the supermarket chain for breaching its duty of vigilance. They accuse Casino of not having taken the necessary measures to exclude beef linked to illegal deforestation, land grabbing and violations of indigenous peoples’ rights from its supply chain in Brazil and Colombia.

A few months ago, the Center for Climate Crime Analysis (CCCA) revealed in a report the destruction, caused by cattle ranching, of the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau indigenous land. 25,482 animals are illegally managed within their land and 13,411 hectares of forest have been deforested, an area larger than the city of Paris.

Through official animal transport documents, three illegal farms located in the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau indigenous land were identified as being connected to the supply chain of one of the Brazilian company JBS’ slaughterhouses, which supplied the stores of the Casino group in Brazil.

In view of this finding, the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau people seek, through this voluntary intervention, compensation for the environmental damages and human rights violations caused by illegal deforestation and cattle ranching. They also put forward new evidence emphasising the links with Casino, which would have breached its duty of vigilance...