The shutdown is a result of a request by the Federal Ministry of
Public Prosecution (MPF) to the Brazilian Environmental agency
(IBAMA), to “inspect and immediately stop the operations of Cargill
port as well as condemn the North American multinational for
illegal operation.” The Regional Federal Court (TRF, in
Portuguese), through Federal Judge Souza Prudente ordered the
complete fulfillment of a decision made in 2000, which suspended
all permits issued for Cargill port in Santarem, which does not
comply with the Brazilian laws which demand an Environmental
Impacts Assessment (EIA) for such facilities.
The suspension of Cargill port activities in Santarém is the
culmination of many years of demands by local communities and those
who oppose the expansion of soy cultivation in the Amazon
rainforest. Soy and other products from the agribusiness are key
drivers for deforestation, threatening huge loss of biodiversity
and contributing to global warming. According to the Federal
Prosecutor in Santarém, Felipe Friz Braga, “this is a historical
decision and it changes the pattern of lack of governance in the
region.”
“This is an important day for the Amazon rainforest and for its
people. Thanks to the constant efforts of the Federal Ministry of
Public Prosecution in Pará State, a big step forward has been taken
in enforcing the responsible use of natural resources and bringing
greater governance in the Amazon,” said Paulo Adario, Greenpeace
Amazon Campaign Coordinator in Brazil. “We trust that Cargill will
respect this decision and conduct a broad environmental impact
assessment, which will result in concrete measures to minimize the
impacts of its port and soy expansion in the region. In that way,
the company will also confirm its commitment to the moratorium on
further deforestation for soy planting, announced in Brazil last
year,” He continued.
Ongoing Greenpeace research has revealed the impacts of soy
cultivation on the world’s largest tropical rainforest, and in May
2006, the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise blocked the port while
activists protested at the facility. The legal battle over the
Santarem facility has been raging since 2000. Cargill has now lost
all appeals against the injunction, which was judged in February
2006. The Federal Ministry of Public Prosecution was notified in
January 2007 and in turn requested that IBAMA (on February 26)
inspect the Santarem facility. In a last attempt to delay action,
Cargill presented a judicial injunction on March 7 to hinder the
Ministry of Public Prosecution from acting or issuing orders for
the closure of the port. The company also attempted to block IBAMA
inspection and the consequent embargo of the port. However, the
Federal Judge in Santarem Francisco de Assis Garcês Castro Junior
denied the company’s request a week later.
VVPR info: [email protected]
Exp. contact date: 2007-04-24 00:00:00
