JBS S A : At COP, JBS announces R$ 43 million for individual traceability and support for a program with small producers in Pará

At COP-28 in Dubai, JBS announced a R$ 43 million investment over the next 3 years to enhance transparency and traceability in the cattle supply chain in Pará, while also supporting small producers with environmental regularization programs and the adoption of regenerative practices and agroforestry systems. The company is also leading a pilot project aiming to implement an individual cattle traceability system in Pará.

The program, which envisions the state adopting individual cattle traceability, was unveiled by Governor Helder Barbalho at COP. "Today we take an important step by joining forces with private funds to launch this initiative. By 2026, we aim to have 100% of the cattle in the State of Pará equipped with individual traceability chips, from birth to slaughter. This ensures, on the one hand, integrity and transparency for the production chain in the region. It also needs to be done with support for the producer, so that they can access the benefits that this traceability provides, with market access," stated Barbalho.

During the announcement panel, Marcela Rocha, Executive Director of Corporate Affairs at JBS, highlighted the significance of the initiative for Brazil's ongoing progress. "As the world's largest food producer and operating in the world's primary biome, we are very proud to respond to our capacity to produce sustainably. This is a smart and courageous initiative. Now, with individual traceability, I will have more confidence to produce and, consequently, to generate jobs, bringing benefits and opportunities for all."

The announcement also garnered support from the Ministers of Agriculture, Carlos Fávaro, and Rural Development and Family Agriculture of Brazil, Paulo Teixeira. Fávaro emphasized the need for initiatives like this, providing resources for good practices to become a reality and be certified, recognized. Teixeira highlighted how, by carefully considering family farming, the initiative addresses the fundamental intersection of environmental and social issues.

Part of the announced investments will be allocated to the Eastern Amazon Fund (FAO) to support small producers in funding the application of individual identifiers on cattle. JBS will invest a total of R$ 5 million by 2026 in this initiative.

The individual traceability program has already begun with the application of electronic identifiers on cattle at the Friboi unit in Marabá (PA). The initiative is currently supported by non-governmental entities and MSD Saúde Animal, owner of the Allflex brand, a leader in animal identification, which provided the electronic identifiers, training, data reading equipment, and the software consolidating information about each animal. Following the testing period, which seeks complete validation of the system and the development of protocols for the technology's use by farms directly supplying JBS, the company will support other partners in the project and the state government to initiate tests on cattle breeding farms, with the goal of enabling traceability for the entire livestock production chain from animal birth.

"With this additional partnership with the state of Pará, we are reinforcing our commitment to supporting small producers and enhancing transparency in livestock farming. These programs reflect our continuous effort to promote more sustainable production practices and are important not only to boost Paraense agriculture but also to develop a unique traceability system in Brazil, advancing towards increasingly transparent and responsible production," stated Gilberto Tomazoni, JBS Global CEO.

The Friday announcement includes a package of initiatives seeking sustainable evolution in Paraense agriculture, all supported by JBS. By 2026, the company will invest R$ 3 million for the funding and expansion of the Green Offices units in the state, enabling the regularization of thousands of producers through the Sustainable Territories Platform, a state government program aiming to scale and effectively implement low-carbon socioeconomic development initiatives in Pará.

Currently located in Marabá, Redenção, Santana do Araguaia, and Tucumã, the Green Offices support farmers in adopting more efficient and sustainable production methods, as well as in the regularization of properties with any kind of environmental liability. The company will also invest an additional R$ 375 thousand through the Farm Grade 10, an initiative focused on improving management with a focus on increasing productivity on livestock farms.

The JBS Fund for the Amazon is also a key promoter of sustainable actions aiming at local socioeconomic development. The program JUNTOS: People + Forests + Livestock, in partnership with Rio Capim Agrossilvipastoril, seeks to include calf and heifer producers in the transition to low-carbon livestock. The JBS Fund initially invested R$ 10 million in the program, planning to serve over 3,500 families in key states of the Legal Amazon.

Additionally, the RestaurAmazônia project by the Solidaridad Foundation promotes the integration of agroforestry systems for cocoa, sustainable calf rearing, and forest preservation in the state. It is also supported by the Fund, with total investments of R$ 25 million to be completed by 2026. The project aims to scale up productive restoration work and benefit 1,500 rural families in a 75,000-hectare area across four municipalities along the Transamazonica in Paraense.