Casino case
in Brazil and Colombia
Why was a legal action brought against Casino?
Main cause of deforestation in Latin America, the cattle industry significantly affects the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon by contributing to land grabbing, and it perpetuates slavery and forced labor. Casino Group is the leading hypermarket retailer in Brazil and Colombia via its subsidiaries GPA and Grupo Exito. Several farms responsible for deforestation and land grabbing have been identified in the group’s supply chain.
Following a formal notice in September 2020, Sherpa in collaboration with the Brazilian and Colombian indigenous organizations COIAB, FEFIPA, FEPOIMT, and OPIAC, and associations Canopée, Commissao Pastorale da Terra, Envol Vert, France Nature Environnement, Mighty Earth, and Notre Affaire à Tous took the Casino Group to court on 3 March 2021 for breaching its duty of vigilance.
Adopted in 2017, the French law on the duty of vigilance obliges large French companies to establish, publish and effectively implement a vigilance plan containing appropriate measures to identify risks and prevent serious violations of human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the environment, resulting from the activities of their subsidiaries, suppliers and subcontractors, including those located outside France.
The coalition requests the court to order Casino to take the necessary measures to exclude beef linked to deforestation and land grabbing of indigenous territories from its supply chain in Brazil and Colombia, and seeks compensation for the damages suffered by the indigenous peoples.
Sherpa recalls that any person accused or prosecuted by a national or international jurisdiction is presumed innocent until found guilty by a final court decision. In this respect, an appealable decision does not constitute a final decision.
Timeline
Formal notice
Sherpa, with Brazilian and Colombian indigenous organisations and international associations, sent a formal notice to Casino.
Lawsuit before the Saint-Etienne civil court
Transfer of the case to the Paris civil court
Following the adoption of the law of 22 December 2021 on confidence in the judiciary, which provides for the exclusive jurisdiction of the Paris Judicial Court in matters of vigilance, the Saint-Etienne Judicial Court transferred the case file to Paris.