Brazilian agribusiness achieved a victory on the international stage. An audit carried out by Peterson found that cotton production in Brazil, especially in the Bahian cerrado, it follows the standards established by international organizations. The result of the analysis was released this Tuesday, 23.
The inspection took place after a complaint, without presenting evidence or evidence, by the non-governmental organization (NGO) Earthsight. Two weeks ago, the NGO, which was founded in 2007 and is based in London, accused the national cotton industry of being responsible for environmental crimes.
According to the complaint, part of the cotton production in western Bahia, in the cerrado biome, would be related to problems such as deforestation, land grabbing and pollution. Oppressing communities where agricultural activity advances was also another accusation made by the British NGO.
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The complaint directly names four companies. In the content that Earthsight called a “report”, SLC Agrícola and Grupo Horita are mentioned as central characters allegedly involved in production problems in the Bahian cerrado. Swedish retailer H&M and Inditex (owner of the Zara brand) would be some of the buyers of what the NGO classified as “dirty cotton”.
Independent audit: there is no evidence against Brazilian cotton producers
After accusing Brazilian cotton producers and international brands, Earthsight’s complaint fell apart. With validation of Better Cotton, a reference organization that monitors and certifies cotton farming internationally, the independent audit carried out by the Peterson team was categorical. According to inspection work, there is no evidence against the country’s producers.
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On its official website, Better Cotton responded point by point to the accusations spread by the British NGO.
“Peterson’s independent audit found no relationship between Earthsight’s community impact allegations and the three farms producing Better Cotton and therefore no violation of standards.”
“With regard to violations of land rights, the audit found that the farms in question are fully registered in the Rural Environmental Registry, a self-declarative database of rural properties, and therefore meet the standard. The farms are also certified by the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources. Therefore, the use and conversion of land for cotton cultivation on these farms complies with national legislation.”
“In relation to deforestation, the report refers to fines relating to years before farms began working with Better Cotton. There are no areas currently under embargo.”
“There is no evidence of illegal spraying of pesticides as alleged by the NGO. Spraying embargoes were lifted in 2018, so the aerial spraying highlighted in the report was legal. The complaint did not provide objective evidence that farms applied pesticides in violation of legal distancing.”
National cotton farming agents speak out
Players of Brazilian cotton production spoke out after the results of the audit that was validated by Better Cotton. In statements, sector associations reinforced the work carried out by the country’s cotton farmers.
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“We are sure that Brazilian producers will emerge stronger from this event and that they will continue with their firm goals of constant improvements in the quality of their production, respect for the environment, employees and the social environment”, stated the National Association of Cotton Exporters. “We remain firm and partners on the path towards leadership in the international cotton market.”
The president of the Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers (Abrapa), Alexandre Schenkel, was another to celebrate the result of the audit. He, however, complained about the “false allegations” promoted by the British NGO.
“Peterson’s audit is a clear vindication of the aforementioned participating farms’ compliance with the protocols and an unequivocal refutation of the false claims presented by Earthsight,” states Schenkel. “This is now the second fully independent audit demonstrating compliance with the protocols.”
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The Abrapa representative also reinforced that he had previously passed on all the information and evidence to the NGO. This, according to him, happened last year.
“One of our core values is the importance of transparency and our openness to interact with all stakeholders, from civil society to the entire value chain,” says Schenkel. “It was in this spirit that we and the companies participating in ABR [sigla para protocolo Algodão Brasileiro Responsável] involved, we provided Earthsight with all the information and evidence necessary to respond to their concerns and allegations last year. We regret that much of our contribution was ignored in its publication.”
Despite the result of the audit, the NGO Earthsight keeps the complaint against Brazilian cotton farming highlighted on its website.
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