Takeaways from lawsuits accusing meat giant JBS, others of contributing to Amazon deforestation

abcnews.go.com:

Authorities in a western Brazil state are taking aim at deforestation of the Amazon with a slew of lawsuits against slaughterhouses and farmers accused of illegally raising cattle in a protected area

JACI-PARANA, Brazil — Authorities in a western Brazil state are taking aim at deforestation of the Amazon with a slew of lawsuits against slaughterhouses and farmers accused of illegally raising cattle in a protected area.

The lawsuits seek millions of dollars for environmental damage in the Jaci-Parana reserve, an area that was once rainforest. It's now mostly grassland after decades of misuse by land-grabbers, loggers and cattle ranchers.

The state of Rondonia has brought the lawsuits against meat processing giant JBS and three smaller slaughterhouses, along with farmers accused of raising and selling cattle illegally.

And prosecutors say the evidence was provided by the ranchers themselves.

The Associated Press and Agencia Pública, a Brazilian nonprofit news agency, examined the 17 lawsuits as part of a collaboration that included visiting the Jaci-Parana to view damage to the reserve and to interview people who said they were forced from their homes there by land-grabbers using threats and violence.

Some takeaways from the work:

JBS A DEFENDANT

Three lawsuits name JBS along with farmers who allegedly provided 227 cattle raised in Jaci-Parana to the world´s largest meat producer. Those lawsuits seek some $3.4 million for damages to the reserve. The company declined to answer questions about the lawsuits from The Associated Press, saying JBS “has not been summoned by the court."

Three smaller meatpacking companies also accused in lawsuits of buying illegal cattle from Jaci-Parana — Frigon, Distriboi and Tangara — did not