First hearing at the Paris judicial court and support from representatives of Brazil’s indigenous peoples
Paris – 9 June 2022 – On Thursday 9 June 2022, the first hearing took place at the Paris judicial court in the legal action brought against the Casino Group for failing in its duty of care in its beef sourcing in Brazil and Colombia, to the detriment of the Amazon rainforest and indigenous peoples.
OUR REQUESTS
In addition to calling for a rapid investigation into the urgent degradation of the Amazon and compensation for the damage caused by this breach of duty of care, the coalition reminds all French economic players of the need to effectively prevent serious human rights and environmental violations throughout their supply chain.
Mrs Sébastien Mabile and Mr François de Cambiaire, representing the coalition in the case against Casino, point out that « Companies covered by the Due Diligence Act must develop, implement and enforce reasonable due diligence plans to identify and prevent human rights and environmental abuses arising from their activities. Selon l’article 2 de la loi, la responsabilité civile de l’entreprise peut être engagée en cas de manquement à ses obligations. The company may be required to pay damages to the victims. »
MOBILISATION OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF BRAZIL
A number of representatives of Brazil’s indigenous peoples (Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, APIB) were in Paris for a one-off visit and rallied in front of the law courts, underlining the urgent need for action.
Eloy Terena, a lawyer with COIAB (Coordination of Indigenous Organisations of the Brazilian Amazon) said: « This French law imposing a duty of vigilance is the first of its kind in the world, and marks a step towards respect for human and environmental rights. It creates a new obligation that is now essential: to prevent and remedy human rights violations and environmental damage caused by the activities of companies and by the activities of their subsidiaries, subcontractors or suppliers. It should be implemented in every country in the world, because the climate emergency is here! »
AT THE END OF THIS FIRST HEARING
This first hearing was intended to determine a timetable for the trial. However, the judge’s order of 9 June 2022 ordered the parties to meet a mediator for an information meeting on mediation before 15 August 2022. Following the meeting, the parties will be able to accept or refuse the mediation proposal. The next status hearing has been set for 15 September. 2022.