UK supermarkets threaten to boycott Brazilian products if it passes forest law

British supermarkets have warned the Brazilian government that if it goes ahead with legislation that calls for mining in indigenous lands of Amazon Rainforest, the consumers in the UK might have to boycott its products. According to international reports, 40 UK companies including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons and Marks & Spencer have written an open letter to Brazil’s national legislature calling for the rejection of the new bill that is wholeheartedly backed by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. 

The bill had already fueled protests among the indigenous groups back in February and the letter by UK firms said that the law would pay heed to “further land grabbing and widespread deforestation” of the sacred Amazon forests. It would also harm the goals set during the Paris Climate Accord of 2015 for climate change and the British companies also noted the violation of rights of indigenous communities due to the concerned bill. The letter also said, “We believe that it would also put at risk the ability of organisations such as ours to continue sourcing from Brazil in the future”.  

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Bill to be introduced on May 20

According to reports, Brazil’s lower house speaker, Rodrigo Maia had said earlier that the bill would be tabled by him in Congress for a potential vote on May 20 amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Previously in a controversial statement, Bolsonaro called it his 'dream' and said he wants to see it 'come true' while Sonia Guajajara of the Brazilian Indigenous People's Assembly said that 'his dream is our nightmare'.

Slamming the President Bolsonaro for his prejudice, Guajajara further said that far-right Brazilian government's new moves can also lead to the 'extermination' of indigenous groups in the Latin American nation. The bill proposed by Bolsonaro on February 5 would not only allow mining but also farming and hydroelectric power projects that were previously prohibited in the protected regions of the world's largest rainforest. 

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(With agency inputs)