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EXECUTIVE INTRODUCTION CONTEXT SUPPLY DATA FIELD CATTLE ACCOUNTABILITY CONCLUSIONS & SUMMARY CHAIN ANALYSIS INVESTIGATION MARKETS RECOMMENDATIONS 1 ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATION AGENCY EIA AGENCY INVESTIGATION ENVIRONMENTAL EXECUTIVE INTRODUCTION CONTEXT SUPPLY DATA FIELD CATTLE ACCOUNTABILITY CONCLUSIONS & SUMMARY CHAIN ANALYSIS INVESTIGATION MARKETS RECOMMENDATIONS Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................... 5 4. Field investigation Deforestation in National Parks INTRODUCTION ........................................ 9 linked to supermarkets 4.1. Deforestation in National Parks ................... 28 1. Context 4.2.Other irregularities detected in Grupo Exito’s 1.1. Chiribiquete and La Macarena Supply Chain .................................................. 32 National Parks ............................................... 11 1.2. Socio-environmental Pressures on 5. Cattle Markets Chiribiquete National Park and its Area of A Critical Link in the Supply Chain Influence ......................................................... 13 5.1. EIA findings related to Cattle Market 1 ...... 35 1.3. Deforestation Dynamics in 5.2. Final Destination of Cattle Sold the Northwestern Colombian Amazon ......... 14 in Cattle Market 1 ......................................... 37 5.3.Hidden Impacts of Indiscriminate Beef 2. The livestock supply chain Sourcing . ....................................................... 38 2.1. Livestock Production Phases ...................... 17 We investigate and campaign against environmental crime and 2.2. Commercialization of Cattle ........................ 18 6. Accountability abuse.Our undercover investigations expose transnational wildlife ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: 2.3. Transformation of Beef ................................ 19 The Role of Supermarket Chains crime, with a focus on elephants and tigers, and forest crimes such as The document has been produced with financial assistance from the 6.1. International Norms and Colombian Law ... 41 illegal logging and deforestation for cash crops like palm oil. We work Good Energies Foundation, Norway’s International Climate and Forest to safeguard global marine ecosystems by addressing the threats Initiative (NICFI) and the Tilia Fund. The contents of this publication 3. Data analysis 6.2. Grupo Éxito in Apparent Violation of its posed by plastic pollution, bycatch and commercial exploitation of are the sole responsibility of EIA-US and do not necessarily reflect the Vaccinations, movements Environmental Commitments ..................... 42 whales, dolphins and porpoises. Finally, we reduce the impact of positions of any donors. and deforestation climate change by campaigning to eliminate powerful refrigerant 6.3. Casino Group and its Obligations under the greenhouse gases, exposing related illicit trade and improving energy 3.1. Deforestation in Forest Reserve Areas and French Duty of Vigilance Law ..................... 43 efficiency in the cooling sector. National Parks ............................................... 21 6.4. Colsubsidio and Carnatural: EIA-US 3.2. Cattle Population and Movements Policy versus Reality ................................... 45 PO Box 53343 NOTES: Unless otherwise noted, the sources for the report are EIA’s in the North and Northeast of Chiribiquete Washington DC 20009 USA internal investigative reports,photos, audio and video evidence collected National Park ................................................. 22 T: +1 202 483-6621 during the investigation.All documents mentioned related to this CONCLUSIONS & E: [email protected] investigation are in possession of EIA-US. Pseudonyms were given to 3.3. Cattle Population and Movements in La RECOMMENDATIONS www.eia-global.org informants in order to comply with standard ethical guidelines in protecting Macarena National Park National Park ........ 24 Conclusions .......................................................... 47 confidentiality of sources. EIA-US made attempts to contact the individuals © Environmental Investigation Agency, Inc. 2021. and entities related to the findings and named in the report, and Recommendations ............................................... 49 All images © Environmental Investigation Agency,Inc. unless otherwise stated. incorporated responses received prior to the time of publication. ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATION AGENCY EIA AGENCY INVESTIGATION ENVIRONMENTAL 4 – TAINTED BEEF 5 Executive summary EIA’s groundbreaking investigation reveals how beef arriving for consumption in Bogota and other major Colombian cities brings with it an invisible stain of illicit deforestation. Due to the failure of supermarkets to conduct adequate due diligence on their beef sourcing, these companies and their unwitting consumers are fueling illegal deforestation in national parks and contributing to financing of armed conflict in Colombia. This report documents evidence found during EIA’s investigation that supermarket chains such as Grupo Exito and Colsubsidio are purchasing meat from suppliers that source cattle that has been illegally raised in protected forests. Through innovative data analysis and extensive field investigations, EIA uncovered a system that is marred by corruption, extortion, cattle laundering, and illegal forest clearing in the Colombian Amazon. The investigation covered areas in the northern part of Chiribiquete National Park - a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s largest tropical forest national park - as well as areas in La Macarena National Park and adjacent protected Forest Reserves. EIA´s analysis shows that between 2016 and 2020 the areas investigated - where deforestation is illegal - lost 21,596 hectares of forest while the cattle ranching population grew more than seven- fold in La Macarena National Park and more than three-fold in the Amazon Forest Reserve bordering the northern parts of Chiribiquete. While this investigation was able to cover only a fraction of the Colombian Amazon, the ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATION AGENCY EIA AGENCY INVESTIGATION ENVIRONMENTAL EXECUTIVE INTRODUCTION CONTEXT SUPPLY DATA FIELD CATTLE ACCOUNTABILITY CONCLUSIONS & – TAINTED BEEF 6 SUMMARY CHAIN ANALYSIS INVESTIGATION MARKETS RECOMMENDATIONS 7 MAIN FINDINGS Government data shows that illegal cattle Bogota receives thousands of cattle for ranching in protected areas has increased slaughter originating from the Amazon Forest exponentially between 2016 and 2020. Reserve, where deforestation is illegal. Cattle raised on illegally deforested land in While the government collects a wealth of protected areas, such as La Macarena National relevant data about cattle vaccinations and Park and the Amazon Forest Reserve are sold movements in protected areas, this in cattle markets that, according to official information is not accessible to the public, data, sent tens of thousands of head of cattle nor does it appear to be shared with other to Bogota slaughterhouses during the same relevant agencies, where it could help with period of time. oversight and enforcement. Indirect suppliers of Grupo Éxito, Colsubsidio Grupo Exito, Colsubsidio and Carnatural are and Carnatural with farms in both purchasing directly from suppliers who source Chiribiquete and La Macarena National from ranchers selling cattle illegally raised in Parks are making annual payments per head Chiribiquete and La Macarena National Parks. of cattle to armed groups. Casino Group’s apparent lack of due diligence concerning Grupo Éxito’s operations in Colombia is perpetuating the financing of armed conflict and fueling the destruction of some of the most valuable forests in the world. results point to serious systemic problems, the scale of which is likely rancher noted: “These people take care of you.” In exchange for exponentially larger and, if not addressed, threatens the future of payments, ranchers explain, they are able to move around freely and Colombia’s unique forests and the communities that depend on them. are protected from cattle theft. Such payments are one of the important Recommendations sources of income for armed groups in the region and can add up to Through multiple trips and interviews, EIA investigators documented a hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in the area of investigation To the Colombian government: To Grupo Éxito, Colsubsidio, and Other complex web of actors that included ranchers, brokers, slaughterhouses, alone, per EIA’s analysis. Illegal armed groups also appear to control Design and implement a mandatory national transparent Supermarket Chains: cattle markets, armed groups, and supermarket chains in Colombia’s the extent of deforestation by issuing so-called “permits” to clear forests system to register and trace individual cattle throughout their Implement a due diligence plan with appropriate risk big cities, where the beef is sold to consumers. for pasture. Companies such as Grupo Exito have made “Zero life cycle, starting at birth. assessment and mitigation measures, to ensure no cattle Deforestation” commitments and claim they are conducting due Actively monitor the cattle sector and stop permits for cattle enters their supply chain that is sourced from deforestation Meat production involves various stages from the birth of the cow to diligence in their supply chains; yet, this investigation uncovered evidence ranching and movements in protected areas, unless it is for or subject to extortion from armed groups and other human backgrounding, finishing, slaughtering and meatpacking. During each stage, of Grupo Exito purchasing meat from suppliers who

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