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☆ Brazilian union sues JBS over alleged exploitation of chicken workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Their shifts lasted up to 14 hours including the journey to and from the hen houses, said union leader Sergio Bolzan in a telephone interview. JBS is a primary defendant and four outsourcing companies are co-defendants in the suit, documents show. The suit claims workers did not get enough rest time, were not fully paid upon dismissal and did not get extra pay for performing hazardous work. Bolzan said evidence of alleged exploitation surfaced in April when he paid a surprise visit to where some catchers were being housed to document the conditions. Bolzan shared his concerns with labor prosecutors, who confirmed preliminary investigations into the matter, including whether catchers were employed "off the books."

Persons: Sergio Bolzan, JBS, Bolzan, Ana Mano, Brad Haynes, Mark Potter Organizations: SAO PAULO, JBS SA, Thomson Locations: Sidrolandia, Mato Grosso, Sul

☆ Neo-Nazi groups multiply in a more conservative Brazil
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Steven Grattan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] Items seized from a neo-Nazi group who call themselves Crew 38 are displayed in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina state, Brazil April 24, 2023. "Santa Catarina is a land of WHITE PEOPLE, FOR WHITE PEOPLE," the anonymous sender wrote, signing off with the Nazi salute "SIEG HEIL." Researchers at Sao Paulo state's Unicamp university have tracked a more than 10-fold rise in the number of neo-Nazi cells in Brazil since 2015. SOUTHERN HATEThe problem of neo-Nazism is particularly acute in Santa Catarina, a state where many have German and Italian ancestry. The state has the largest proportion of white residents in Brazil, with 84% declaring as white in the last census.

Persons: Cristiano Estrela, Andrea Muller, Jair Bolsonaro's, Adolf Hitler, Bolsonaro, Flavio Dino, CONIB, Guilherme Franco de Andrade, Bolsonaro's, Arthur Lopes, Lopes, Luis Eduardo de Quadros, de Almeida, Steven Grattan, Gabriel Stargardter, Deepa Babington Organizations: Nazi, REUTERS, Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Federal Police, Nazism, Santa, Brazil's, Sao Paulo state's Unicamp, Federal University of Mato, Blacks, Haitian, Thomson Locations: Florianopolis, Santa Catarina state, Brazil, Itajai, Santa Catarina, Haiti, Nazi, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Sul, U.S, United States, Europe

Production had never exceeded 100 million prior to 2017, though USDA sees the 2024 crop jumping to another new high of 163 million tonnes. Current economics suggest 2024 soybean profitability in Brazil could return to the lower levels of the late 2010s, when the average yearly area expansion was below 3%. Brazilian farmers have been slow to sell the 2023 soy crop amid easing prices, and 2024 may be less exciting. China’s soybean consumption had been rising more than 8% per year in the mid-2010s. Chinese soybean demand: consumption and importsKaren Braun is a market analyst for Reuters.

Persons: Mato, Karen Braun, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S . Department of Agriculture, USDA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: NAPERVILLE , Illinois, China, Americas, Brazil, BRAZIL, United States, Argentina, CHINA

As of Wednesday, CBOT soy futures had closed lower for six consecutive sessions, losing a total of 5%. Most-active CBOT soybean futuresHistorically low port premiums for Brazilian soybeans have weighed heavily on prices since they suggest supplies are currently outpacing demand. Within the last few days, CBOT soybean futures began trading at the lowest levels for the date in three years, something that was last applicable in 2020. Brazilian agency Conab sees Brazil’s total corn crop near a record 125 million tonnes versus last year’s high of 113 million. Brazil’s second corn crop is seen topping 95 million tonnes this year, a mark the country’s total corn crop first achieved in 2016-17.

☆ Brazil lures China's Cofco to finance recovery of degraded land
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Lisandra Paraguassu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"They have every interest," said Augustin, adding that a Cofco delegation is expected for talks in Brasilia next month. China is Brazil's biggest trade partner and Brazil accounts for 22% of Chinese imports, driven largely by farm goods. One version would have farmers guarantee sale of their production to the companies that finance land recovery, he said. "You don't need to deforest another hectare to increase (farm) production," Augustin said. Agriculture Ministry studies estimate a cost of 15,000 to 23,000 reais to recover one hectare of degraded land.

☆ Brazil police bust gang plot to attack authorities, public servants
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Brazilian senator Sergio Moro speaks during a session of the Federal Senate in Brasilia, Brazil March 22, 2023. "A murder plot against several public officials (among them a senator and a prosecutor) was investigated and identified. Sergio Moro, a former judge and current senator, also took to Twitter to confirm he and his family were targets in the gangs' plot. A government minister told Reuters that the plan was organized by the First Capital Command (PCC) gang and was not politically motivated. The federal police said 24 search and seizure warrants, seven preventive arrest warrants and four temporary arrest warrants are being served.

☆ Brazil Supreme Court rules Bayer must return $252 mln in GMO soy royalties
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Feb. 13 ruling by Supreme Court Justice Nunes Marques relates to a GMO technology commercially known as Intacta RR2 Pro, created by Monsanto, which was later acquired by Germany's Bayer. Bayer said in a statement it will determine its next steps while noting it would comply with the ruling. The ruling is the latest chapter of a protracted battle opposing the crop science firm and Brazilian farmers, who have launched multiple legal challenges against the firm. Aprosoja-MT said that according to the ruling, Bayer will now have to deposit 1.3 billion reais ($252 million) in an escrow account to return royalties paid by farmers going back to 2018. A lawyer for Aprosoja-MT said Bayer can appeal Marques' ruling at the plenary of the Supreme Court.

Corn planting pace in ParanaParana’s 2021 safrinha crop was its latest planted since at least 2009, so it was especially subject to frost and freeze toward the end of the season. 2 producer of first crop corn, but it does not plant a second crop. Corn planting pace in Mato GrossoAlthough Mato Grosso’s planting pace is not necessarily alarming, it may reduce the corn’s resilience to any potentially tough weather conditions later, and last year provides a great example. May followed the exact same pattern, though Mato Grosso’s corn yields were very respectable last year. Mato Grosso’s biggest risk of late corn planting is the onset of dry season, as early as April.

USDA’s views of Argentina’s corn and soybean crops landed below trade guesses by more than 1 million tonnes each. Applying those losses to 2023 would yield 34 million tonnes, still much below the current forecast. Rosario also reduced its corn crop outlook to 42.5 million tonnes from 45 million, and USDA made a 10% cut to 47 million from 52 million. Ukraine’s corn exports also increased 2 million tonnes to 22.5 million, well above the grim sub-10 million ideas from mid-last year. USDA took Argentina’s corn exports down with the smaller crop, but it does not ship corn to China.

☆ Brazil ‘mega-protest’ fizzles amid authorities’ concern
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

BRASILIA, Brazil — Skittish Brazilian authorities on Wednesday spared no effort to boost security in the face of a social media flyer promoting a “mega-protest to retake power” in two dozen cities. On Brasilia’s esplanade surrounded by federal government buildings, authorities had designated an area for protest and stationed police and national guard troops. Just one couple showed, dressed in the same Brazil soccer jerseys that thousands of rioters wore four days earlier. Citing the call to protest, a Supreme Court justice ordered local authorities in cities across Brazil to prevent protesters from blocking roads or occupying public spaces and buildings. Justice Minister Flávio Dino told local press this week that authorities have identified some of the protest’s financiers.

☆ Brazilian authorities brace for possible repeat of uprising
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

It was unclear how large or violent such demonstrations might shape up to be, but skittish authorities took no chances. Citing the call to action on social media, a Supreme Court justice ordered local authorities in cities across Brazil to prevent protesters from blocking roads or occupying public spaces and buildings. A police officer carries away part of a vandalized sculpture Tuesday at the Supreme Court building in Brasília. Carl De Souza / AFP - Getty ImagesJustice Minister Flávio Dino told local press this week that authorities have identified some of the protest’s financiers. In November, the Supreme Court froze 43 bank accounts of people accused of having financed roadblocks that disrupted highway traffic in the wake of Lula’s victory.

☆ Lasers revealed 5 ancient civilizations that were hiding in plain sight
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Archeologists beam lasers from the sky to unearth ancient settlements hiding in plain sight. State-of-the-art laser technology is transforming archaeology by creating 3D renderings of ruins. A hidden 2,000-year-old Mayan civilization in northern GuatemalaResearchers found a 2,000-year-old Mayan civilization in northern Guatemala using LiDAR. 61,000 previously unknown structures hidden under the dense Guatemalan jungleLiDAR laser technology found ancient cities with more than 60,000 structures in Guatemala. An overgrown ancient civilization buried in the Bolivian AmazonA LiDAR image of an ancient Amazonian urban network in what is now Bolivia.

☆ 'Coup-mongering' Bolsonarista's battle cry reveals a radicalized Brazil
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Gabriel Stargardter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Lots of people realized this wasn't a safe place," said Lucas Mello, a 22-year-old TikToker who has lived in the camp since Dec. 5. Three days after the riots, Moraes released Baldin, sent him home with an ankle bracelet, and barred him from talking to the media. "The heavily violent (protests) ... occurred in exactly the same context that motivated the temporary arrest of Milton Baldin," Moraes wrote in his sealed ruling. Bolsonaristas deride Moraes as an unelected despot who has censored free speech and trampled on the president's executive power. On Dec. 9, Bolsonaro broke weeks of post-election silence with an ambiguous message many viewed as encouragement to his protesting supporters.

REUTERS/Amanda PerobelliSAO PAULO/MONTREAL, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Deforestation in Brazil's Cerrado savanna rose to a seven-year high, government data showed on Wednesday, destroying a vital habitat for threatened species and releasing huge amounts of greenhouse gases that drive climate change. Destruction of native vegetation rose 25% to 10,689 square kilometers (4,127 square miles) – an area larger than Lebanon. Brazil's official deforestation statistics run from August to July to minimize clouds obscuring the destruction. The Cerrado, the world's most species-rich savanna, has given way to Brazil's expanding agricultural frontier for decades. "We need COP15 negotiators to prioritise ending deforestation and conversion in areas where the yearly rate of ecosystem losses prove alarming, like the Cerrado."

Brazil has yet to publish its official annual figures for Cerrado deforestation, based on satellite analysis by the government's space research agency Inpe. The Cerrado neighbors the Amazon, occupying more than 2 million square kilometers in central Brazil – larger than Mexico. FARM-DRIVEN DEFORESTATIONThe Brazilian savanna is now a major concern for top grains traders, who have broadly pledged to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains by 2025. The sources discussed Cerrado deforestation data from Brazil's PRODES program, which produces annual data that is far more accurate than rapid alert data published on a weekly and monthly basis. An Inpe official said earlier this year that Brazil would soon stop publishing PRODES Cerrado data due to lack of funding.

The plan would show how the food industry and farming can align with the world's goal of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius, Food and Agriculture Organization Deputy Director Zitouni Ould-Dada said. More than forty investors managing a combined $18 trillion urged the FAO in June to create a plan to curb emissions in the sector, often overlooked in global warming debates yet one of the biggest sources of climate-damaging emissions. "There has never been this much attention to food and agriculture anytime before. Livestock accounts for nearly a third of the global methane emissions linked to human activity, released in the form of cattle burps, manure and the cultivation of feed crops. Reporting by Simon Jessop and Sarah El Safty; Editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The video, which was posted to Twitter, shows a crowd of people, some carrying and others draped in the Brazilian flag, with many apparently performing a Nazi salute as the Brazilian national anthem plays. It’s unclear who posted the video and CNN has not been able to verify its authenticity. Nazi incitement is a crime in Brazil. Brazilian authorities will investigate the video. @CentralEleicoes/TwiiterA Brazilian Jewish organization, the Brazilian Israeli Confederation, released a statement condemning the image as “disgusting.”“Brazilian society cannot tolerate gestures like this.

☆ Brazil's Bolsonaro urges protesters to lift road blockades
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SAO PAULO, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for the first time on Wednesday asked protesters blocking roads nationwide to lift blockades as demonstrations are restricting people's right to come and go and bringing losses to the economy. In a video posted on social media, Bolsonaro said he understood people's frustration at the result of the election. The president said blocking roads make the ongoing protests illegitimate. Bolsonaro added the Federal Highway Police (PRF) had mobilized to help dispel protesters and clear roads. In remarks on Tuesday, the Brazilian president said the protests resulted from "indignation and a sense of injustice" over the vote.

☆ Main road to Brazil's Paranagua port, major grain export hub, still blocked
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ricardo MoraesSAO PAULO, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The main access road to Brazil's Paranagua port, the country's second busiest for grain exports, remained blocked by political protesters on Tuesday, according to a statement from the port authority, hobbling shipping from one of the world's top food producers. Farm states like Santa Catarina, where many meatpackers operate, and Mato Grosso, Brazil's biggest grain producer, were among the most affected by the protests that started after polls closed on Sunday, police data showed. The port authority at Santos, Latin America's biggest port, said things were normal as protests had not disrupted its terrestrial operations, according to a statement sent to Reuters. Yet due to bad weather, navigation in the port's estuary has been suspended since 4:00 a.m. (0700 GMT), the statement said. Reporting by Ana Mano Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Most speculation has focused on who will be his finance minister, which will be a major signal to investors of his commitment to fiscal discipline. If Lula has settled on his pick, he has not yet told even his closes aides. "He banned any talk of this because in a tight election, anticipating names could have a negative impact," said a senior member of Lula's Workers Party who requested anonymity. Meirelles was finance minister in the government that replaced impeached President Dilma Rousseff in 2016, drawing lasting ire from some in the Workers Party. She would be a strong pick for agriculture minister, sources said, as she comes from farm state Mato Grosso do Sul, although she has said publicly she would rather be education minister.

SAO PAULO/BRASILIA, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Brazilian leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva narrowly defeated President Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff election, but the far right incumbent did not concede defeat on Sunday night, raising concerns that he might contest the result. The Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) declared Lula the next president, with 50.9% of votes against 49.1% for Bolsonaro. It was a stunning comeback for the leftist former president and a punishing blow to Bolsonaro, the first Brazilian incumbent to lose a presidential election. [1/6] Brazil's former President and presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva reacts at an election night gathering on the day of the Brazilian presidential election run-off, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, October 30, 2022. "A former union leader born into poverty, Lula organized strikes against Brazil's military government in the 1970s.

His complete radio silence has raised concerns about the orderly handover of power, while also adding to doubts about how long the blockades could last. However, Normando Corral, president of farm group Famato, said the roadblocks in the top grains-growing state of Mato Grosso could disrupt agricultural shipments if they persist. One of the state's main exports this time of year is Brazil's winter corn crop, which is planted after soybeans are harvested. Evandro Lermen, a member of grain cooperative Coacen in the Brazilian 'soy capital' Sorriso, Mato Grosso, told Reuters corn shipments were not being disrupted by the protests. Rumo, a leading rail company that operates Latin America's biggest grain terminal in Rondonopolis, Mato Grosso, said none of its operations in Brazil had been affected so far.

☆ Brazil's presidential election may determine the fate of the Amazon rainforest — and the entire planet's climate
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

An aerial photo shows virgin Amazon jungle in Mato Grosso State, Brazil, on May 18, 2005. An aerial view of logs cut from Amazon rainforest near of the road BR-319 highway in city of Realidade, Amazonas state, Brazil, on August 22, 2019. Ueslei Marcelino/ReutersBolsonaro promises to increase deforestation in the Amazon, while Lula promises to slow it. But it's also the most consequential election on the planet," Christian Poirier, program director at the advocacy group Amazon Watch, told Insider. A miner works in an illegal gold mine at an environmental preservation area in the Amazon rainforest, in Itaituba, Para state, Brazil on September 3, 2021.

Brazil’s potentially record-breaking soybean crop was 34% planted as of Monday, behind last year’s 38%, and progress slowed significantly in No. The southern state was 44% planted as of Monday, the date’s slowest pace in eight years and about 12 points below average. Soybean planting progress in Parana, BrazilBut Parana’s large second corn crop, planted right after soybean harvest, is certainly at risk if the soy season becomes delayed. The Center West state is among Brazil’s most stable soybean producers as it has not harvested a poor soy crop in seven seasons. A third straight season with La Nina, the cool phase of the equatorial Pacific Ocean, should keep analysts on guard as it tends to dry out Southern Brazil during its growing season.

☆ Brazilian court allows Paper Excellence to conclude acquisition of Eldorado
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Tatiana Bautzer | Nupur Anand | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Judge J.B. Franco de Godoi, at an appeals court, voided a previous court injunction that prevented Paper Excellence from concluding the transfer of ownership of Brazilian pulp maker Eldorado. Paper Excellence won an arbitration against Eldorado's current controlling shareholder, J&F Investimentos, which also controls meatpacker JBS SA (JBSS3.SA). But J&F went to the courts and obtained an injunction preventing the transfer of 100% of Eldorado shares to Paper Excellence. Paper Excellence will then consider how soon it can build a second unit, with an estimated capital expenditure of 10 billion reais ($1.94 billion). The Eldorado deal has been on hold for five years.

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