Environmental group Greenpeace Netherlands has asked a Dutch court to compel global meat giant JBS to disclose documents relating to its business operations and expansion plans, including a proposed US$2.5 billion investment in Nigeria.
The application, filed under Dutch disclosure laws, seeks access to corporate information that Greenpeace says is necessary to determine whether JBS’s business practices comply with its obligations on climate change, biodiversity and human rights before commencing formal litigation.
If granted, the order could require JBS to hand over internal documents and allow senior executives to be questioned under oath.
The case comes as JBS, the world’s largest meat producer, pursues a US$6 billion global expansion programme, with about US$2.5 billion earmarked for industrial livestock production in Nigeria.
Nigeria expansion under scrutiny
Greenpeace said Nigerian civil society organisations have raised concerns that the proposed investment could have significant environmental and social consequences if not properly assessed.
According to the organisation, there is no publicly available evidence that JBS has conducted environmental or social impact assessments or consulted affected communities regarding the Nigerian project. It also said Freedom of Information requests seeking details of the investment have gone unanswered.
JBS has not publicly responded to those allegations.
The legal action follows JBS’s refusal, according to Greenpeace, to comply with a formal request made in April seeking information about the company’s climate, environmental and human rights impacts.
Greenpeace Netherlands said it is relying on recently introduced Dutch legislation that allows parties with a legitimate legal interest to request access to corporate information needed to prepare litigation.
The environmental organisation said obtaining the documents is a necessary first step before deciding whether to pursue what it described as a potentially landmark climate case against the livestock industry.
The livestock sector is estimated to account for around 31% of global methane emissions, making it one of the world’s largest contributors to emissions of the potent greenhouse gas.
Marieke Vellekoop, executive director of Greenpeace Netherlands, accused JBS of refusing to be transparent about its expansion plans.
“In a month where JBS has thrown its flagship environmental commitments onto the scrap heap, JBS’ disdain for basic transparency only adds to the impression that this meat giant has something to hide and is desperate to prevent its expansion plans from going public,” Vellekoop said.
She added: “We were hoping we wouldn’t have to trouble a judge with this matter, but JBS has left us no choice but to seek our right to information through the Dutch courts.”
Vellekoop also argued that JBS should remain subject to Dutch corporate accountability laws despite relocating its legal headquarters to the Netherlands.
“JBS appears to believe that despite moving to the Netherlands, our rules do not apply to it. This legal action aims to prove it wrong—and lay the ground for a first major climate and nature lawsuit against the dangerous expansion of the global meat industry.”
Greenpeace Africa warns over Nigeria project
Elizabeth Atieno, food campaigner at Greenpeace Africa, said the organisation believes JBS’s planned expansion into sub-Saharan Africa raises concerns over environmental protection and local livelihoods.
“JBS promises food security, but its expansion in Nigeria risks causing irreversible environmental damage and the displacement of smallholder farmers to line the pockets of wealthy global elites,” Atieno said.
She added that multinational companies should be held accountable wherever they operate.
“As Greenpeace Africa has argued before the African Court of Human Rights, states with jurisdiction over multinationals must hold those corporate actors accountable—wherever they operate in the world.”
The court action comes days after JBS announced it was abandoning two major environmental commitments, including its target to reach net-zero emissions by 2040 and its pledge to eliminate deforestation from its supply chain.
Greenpeace argues those decisions strengthen the case for greater scrutiny of the company’s global expansion plans.
Discover more from Pluboard
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.