{"id":86454,"date":"2026-10-14T11:29:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T09:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/?p=86454"},"modified":"2026-10-14T11:29:07","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T09:29:07","slug":"amazon-rainforest-wrecker-and-worlds-biggest-meat-company-jbs-is-now-expanding-into-southeast-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/story\/86454\/amazon-rainforest-wrecker-and-worlds-biggest-meat-company-jbs-is-now-expanding-into-southeast-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon rainforest wrecker and world\u2019s biggest meat company JBS is now expanding into Southeast Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TL;DR: JBS – the global meat empire linked to widespread Amazon deforestation – is <\/em>planning a massive US $5 billion expansion<\/em><\/a> into Southeast Asia, which could threaten the climate, fragile ecosystems and Indigenous lands in Indonesia. Greenpeace Netherlands is taking JBS to court to block the company\u2019s nature destroying expansion – and we need your support to stop them.<\/em>

When you think of global warming, you probably picture smoke billowing from coal power plants or tailpipes of gas-guzzling cars. But behind closed doors, one of the biggest drivers of the climate crisis isn’t an oil company – it\u2019s a global meat dynasty.<\/p>\n\n

\"Piles
Piles of trees rotting and on fire, following a deforestation event in Queensland. A bulldozer can be seen pushing forests into piles for burning. Queensland has the highest rate of deforestation in Australia. Most deforestation occurs for the purpose of growing pasture for beef cattle.
\u00a9 Paul Hilton \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

You might not know its name, but JBS is the largest meat processor on Earth<\/a>. JBS has capacity to slaughter tens of thousands of cattle and pigs, and millions of chickens every single day. In doing so, Greenpeace Nordic estimates it pumps out more superheating methane gas than fossil fuel giants ExxonMobil and Shell combined<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

For years, investigative reports have linked JBS\u2019s supply chain to massive deforestation in the Amazon rainforest<\/a>, Indigenous rights violations<\/a>, and brutal labour conditions<\/a>. Now, evidence suggests the company is planning the biggest meat sector expansion we know of, setting its sights on new frontiers in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

To understand where JBS is headed, we have to look at the trail it has already left behind.<\/p>\n\n

JBS\u2019s legacy of forest destruction from the Amazon to Australia\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

JBS isn’t just a dominant force in the Americas – it is also Australia\u2019s largest beef processing company<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

A recent investigation by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) reports a startling fact: agriculture in Australia now drives more land clearing than palm oil in Indonesia in recent years<\/a>. Bulldozers routinely flatten native Australian forests to create cattle pastures, the report finds, destroying critical habitats for native wildlife like koalas and washing sediment onto the fragile Great Barrier Reef.<\/p>\n\n

Australia is the world\u2019s second largest beef and bovine meat exporter, after Brazil<\/a> – and the top one when looking at fresh or chilled beef<\/a>. About two thirds <\/a>of Australian beef and veal are exported. If you buy a beef burger at a fast-food chain in Japan, South Korea, or anywhere across East Asia, there is a chance that meal is connected to lost koala habitat in Australia.<\/p>\n\n

\"Greenpeace
Greenpeace Brazil documented how the Farm Nova Orleans, a massive property marked by embargoes and illegal deforestation, and the small rural property Ch\u00e1cara Rancho Alegre form a cattle laundering scheme that supplies JBS and threatens the Amazon.\nAerial images highlight the stark contrast in scale between the two properties, as well as the differences in their cattle ranching infrastructure.<\/figcaption>
\u00a9 Tuane Fernandes \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Over three quarters of Australian live cattle are exported to Indonesia<\/a>. Now, JBS wants to take its model even further into Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n\n

Inside JBS\u2019s Asian joint venture worth US $5 billion\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

JBS plans to combine its entire Australian and New Zealand operations into a new joint-venture with Danantara, Indonesia\u2019s newly formed sovereign wealth fund<\/a>. Together, they aim to supersize industrial meat production across Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n\n

The proposed joint venture would establish a holding company registered in the Netherlands – a country frequently used as a tax haven and JBS\u2019s corporate headquarters since 2025. The venture aims to raise US $5 billion for further JBS expansion. This almost doubles<\/a> JBS\u2019s previous known expansion plans, which was already the largest identified industrial meat expansion in the world.<\/p>\n\n

Why would a national wealth fund choose this moment to pour billions into industrial livestock?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n

The answer may be connected to Indonesia\u2019s deeply controversial Food and Energy Estate program.<\/p>\n\n

In regions like South Papua, the Indonesian government has reportedly been using state pressure and even its military to terrorise and intimidate Papuans, as it advanced a project to clear millions of hectares of Indigenous land. Officially launched under the banner of \u201cnational food security,\u201d the project sparked resistance from Indigenous communities<\/a> whose ancestral forests, wetlands, and savannahs are threatened by mega-farms for sugarcane, rice, palm oil, and cattle ranching. This was documented by the powerful new documentary \u2018Pig Feast<\/a>\u2019, co-produced by Greenpeace Indonesia, which was widely viewed across the country despite reported efforts by Indonesian authorities to prevent it being screened<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

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