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POSITION ON BRAZILIAN PRODUCTS

Tesco

25 June 2009

The following letter was sent to The Guardian by Corporate and
Legal Affairs Director Lucy Neville-Rolfe on 24 June 2009.
"I was disappointed by the suggestion that supermarkets and
Tesco in particular were supporting illegal deforestation of the
Amazon rainforest ("Supermarket suppliers ‘helping destroy
Amazon rainforest’", 21 June).
The recent Greenpeace report rightly highlights the negative
impact of beef production on the Amazon region, where illegal
cattle farms are linked to deforestation. We recognise the
importance of the Amazon for the crucial role rainforests play in
addressing climate change and are full members of the Roundtable on
Sustainable Palm Oil as well as signatories to the Moratorium on
soy from the Amazon biome.
The Greenpeace report alleges that two Brazilian suppliers, JBS
and Bertin, source cattle from illegal farms in the Amazon region
and then ship the beef products to southern Brazil for further
processing. We have made it clear to our suppliers that the use of
beef from illegally deforested regions is unacceptable and we are
working with them to ensure that no illegal beef is used in our
products
We have also sought and received assurances from both companies
that the beef products they supply to Tesco from the Sao Paolo
region have not been made using cattle from the Amazon. Leather is
sold on the open commodities market and is more of a challenge, but
we are working to see what progress can be made.
More generally we welcome the moves by the Brazilian Government
to enforce local laws and protect ecosystems that are vital to the
future of our planet."