Greenpeace seeks court order over JBS Nigeria investment plans

JBS – Environmental organisation Greenpeace has launched legal proceedings in the Netherlands seeking a court order requiring Brazilian meat processor JBS to disclose details of its proposed US$2.5 billion investment in Nigeria and its wider business expansion plans.

The organisation said it filed the petition with a Dutch court after JBS allegedly declined to provide information relating to its business policies, climate commitments and planned operations despite a formal disclosure request submitted in April.

According to Greenpeace, obtaining the requested information is a necessary step before initiating formal legal proceedings against the company.

The organisation said its concerns centre on JBS’s planned expansion of industrial livestock production in Nigeria, arguing that civil society groups have warned the project could affect ecosystems, food security and regional stability.

Greenpeace also claimed there is no publicly available evidence showing that JBS has conducted environmental impact assessments or community consultations related to the proposed investment.

The organisation further alleged that attempts by local groups to obtain information through Freedom of Information requests have not received responses.

Transparency concerns follow climate policy changes

The legal action comes shortly after JBS withdrew its target of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, a move Greenpeace said raised additional concerns about the company’s environmental commitments.

Greenpeace said it believes JBS is pursuing expansion without sufficient transparency, citing the withdrawal of the emissions target alongside what it described as a lack of publicly available information on the project’s environmental, social and human rights implications.

Marieke Vellekoop, executive director of Greenpeace Netherlands, said the organisation had hoped to resolve the matter without legal action but decided to seek intervention from the Dutch courts after the company declined to release the requested information.

Greenpeace’s legal representatives argue that JBS’s business practices and expansion plans may fall within the scope of the Dutch duty of care framework, which requires companies to operate in line with internationally recognised human rights standards.

JBS had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of publication.

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