Ranchers in Brazil Bypass Forced Labor Safeguards by Using Intermediaries

Brazil's "Dirty List," a public registry that names employers found to have violated anti-slavery laws, is a key component of the country's efforts to combat forced labor. Major meatpackers in Brazil signed sustainable sourcing commitments promising to not purchase cattle directly from ranchers on the Dirty List. But new research shows that ranchers have found ways around these restrictions, rerouting cattle through intermediaries and allowing cattle linked to forced labor to remain in domestic and international beef and leather supply chains.