CEO Note: Meat Industry’s Pyrrhic Victory

The CEO of Mighty Earth discusses the risks associated with JBS's listing on the New York Stock Exchange, citing a history of bribery, fraudulent climate claims, and pollution. While noting progress such as the suspension of 1,000 suppliers linked to deforestation by JBS and other Brazilian meatpackers, the author highlights ongoing failures in South American cattle companies to prohibit deforestation in the Cerrado, Pantanal, and Chiquitania ecosystems, as well as a general lack of methane pollution disclosure.

• The New York Stock Exchange listing of JBS exposes investors to significant risks stemming from the company's history of fraudulent climate claims, bribery, poor governance, and legal violations regarding health, immigration, and water pollution.
• JBS's planned dual listing on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange may subject the company to Dutch legal scrutiny and lawsuits from climate organizations.
• Some progress has been made in the industry, including JBS and other Brazilian meatpackers suspending nearly 1,000 suppliers connected to deforestation following pressure from Carrefour, and Marfrig accelerating its goal to eliminate nature destruction in supply chains to 2025.
• Significant gaps remain in industry sustainability, specifically the lack of official policies prohibiting deforestation in the Chiquitania, Pantanal, and Cerrado ecosystems by South American cattle companies (excluding Marfrig), and a general failure to disclose or reduce methane pollution.
• Bolivia experienced the second highest level of deforestation globally last year, a trend largely attributed to fires and the meat industry.

APA

Hurowitz, G. (2025). CEO Note: Meat Industry’s Pyrrhic Victory. Mighty Earth. https://mightyearth.org/article/ceo-note-meat-industrys-pyrrhic-victory/

Chicago

Hurowitz, Glenn. CEO Note: Meat Industry’s Pyrrhic Victory. Mighty Earth, 2025. https://mightyearth.org/article/ceo-note-meat-industrys-pyrrhic-victory/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Hurowitz |first1=Glenn |title=CEO Note: Meat Industry’s Pyrrhic Victory |publisher=Mighty Earth |date=16 June 2025 |url=https://mightyearth.org/article/ceo-note-meat-industrys-pyrrhic-victory/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{hurowitz2025ceo, author = {Hurowitz, Glenn}, title = {{CEO Note: Meat Industry’s Pyrrhic Victory}}, publisher = {Mighty Earth}, year = {2025}, month = jun, url = {https://mightyearth.org/article/ceo-note-meat-industrys-pyrrhic-victory/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }