In April JBS was pleased to commence registering producers on the Transparent Livestock Farming Platform, a blockchain based programme which will enable the Company to extend livestock supplier monitoring (and zero-deforestation enforcement) to all indirect suppliers by 2025.

Whilst signing up is initially voluntary, beef cattle producers who directly supply JBS will list their suppliers of animals on the platform developed by specialized company Ecotrace. The Company hopes that by the end of the year the Platform will have registered producers who have a total turnover of 1 million animals, and all beef cattle suppliers of JBS will sign up to the program by the end of 2025.

JBS’ Transparent Livestock Farming Platform recently featured in The Grocer where the Company was pleased to set out its aims in assessing tens of thousands of farms across the Amazon, Cerrado, Pantanal, Mata Atlântica and Caatinga biomes.

Reiterating the Company’s ambition to be a part of the solution in tackling climate change, Marcio Nappo, director of sustainability at JBS, said: “we believe the food and livestock industry have a vital role to play in the transition to a zero-carbon economy… This requires changing mindsets and driving meaningful change, which is why we are also leading efforts to promote the sustainable development of the Amazon biome, foster conservation, and improve the quality of life of the population living there. Sustainability goes hand in hand with economic development and we are committed to play our part.”

How the Platform works
Data inputted into the Platform’s database is sent electronically for validation by animal traceability system developed by the CNA (Brazilian Confederation of Agricultural and Livestock Farming). Once authorized by the producer, the CNA checks if the list of suppliers is complete. Companies accredited on the Platform will then have their credentials analysed to check for the existence of:

• deforestation, respecting the Brazilian Forest Code
• invasion of indigenous lands or environmental conservation units
• hard labour
• use of areas embargoed by IBAMA

The outcome of the analysis will be sent directly to the JBS supplier who, for the first time, will be able to view socioenvironmental compliance throughout his entire supply chain. This means they will be able to develop plans to mitigate risks and engage in actions that help producers to regularise their processes where necessary.

JBS will not have access to sensitive information, only to the consolidated analysis of its suppliers. Thanks to blockchain technology, it will be possible to maintain the commitment to the confidentiality of third-party information.

The Platform will play a critical role in helping JBS meet its net zero target by 2040, which itself includes a target to ensure its suppliers` suppliers are free of illegal deforestation by 2025 across many key regions of Brazil. As the world`s second-largest food company and global leader in protein, JBS has made a commitment to zero the balance of its greenhouse gas emissions across its entire, diversified value chain, reducing the intensity of direct and indirect emissions and offsetting all residual emissions.