On World Food Day, JBS announces the donation of over 130 tons of protein in 2021, equivalent to 1.3 million meals.

Liège Correia, JBS's Sustainability Director, emphasized the importance of establishing a unified national database for the livestock chain that is shared and accessible to all. During a COP panel session held on December 11, JBS highlighted the critical need for both public and private sector investments to standardize and enhance the quality of Brazil's Rural Environmental Registry or another shared database for supply chain traceability. "The private sector's investment in public initiatives is crucial to expedite the regularization of rural properties. While we demand individually traceable livestock, progress in the foundational process, the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), remains slow," Correia stated in the panel titled "Accelerating the implementation of traceability in the livestock sector: collaborative strategies for sustainable supply chains." She likened individual traceability to a house's second floor, with land regularization serving as the ground floor. Correia believes that, in addition to investing in the CAR, increasing farmers' income is essential to encourage the adoption of more efficient, sustainable production techniques and animal traceability. "For instance, out of over 2 million livestock farms in Brazil, only 1,300 are certified to export to Europe. Excluding producers from participating in a market not only affects a country and the Amazon's bioeconomy but also fosters an alternative market in Brazil due to the lack of economic opportunities and technical support for farmers. This is a discussion we need to have not just as an industry but as a country," she argued. Raoni Rajão, head of the Department of Deforestation and Fire Control Policies at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, announced that 2024 will be a pivotal year for the CAR. "In 2023, we aimed to make significant progress. The CAR is an environmental policy for enforcing the Forest Code, and now, with the Ministry of Management as a strong partner, we're poised to advance technologically," he noted, adding that the goal for the next year is to increase incentives for farmers to progress with the CAR. "This will mean more work for the farmer and the identification of deficits in Legal Reserves and Permanent Preservation Areas, among others. Therefore, we need to revise the incentive structure." Correia also advocated for the creation of a single national data base for the livestock chain that is common and accessible to everyone. "Currently, each company or institution hires a monitoring firm and maintains its own databases and criteria, leading to discrepancies in analysis," she stated. According to her, a national "green seal" would also help to standardize and lend credibility to property and purchasing criteria. Another focus of the panel was the importance of engaging farmers in the conversation, providing them with economic opportunities and technical support for compliance. "We face a communication challenge in conveying to farmers the benefits they stand to gain. They need to realize they are part of something much larger. Our goal is to convey that we are selling meat that supports biodiversity and the preservation of legal reserves and nature. However, this requires traceability, information, and ensuring farmers have access to and are integrated into this system. A collective vision is still lacking," said Luiza Bruscato, Executive Director of Mesa Brasil for Sustainable Livestock. JBS is also working to support producers in adopting regenerative agriculture practices, such as using technologies and implementing diverse agroforestry systems, in addition to financing for animal identification. Through its Green Offices, the company has assisted in the regularization and support of approximately 19,000 producers in adopting regenerative livestock practices and has contributed to the reforestation of over two thousand hectares.