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// Tesco AGM drives activists out of Welwyn Garden City headquarters
// Activists protested against greenwashing and meat causing deforestation
Tesco has seen activists protest outside its headquarters in Welwyn Garden City against the greenwashing and meat that drives deforestation.
Activists flocked to the site where Tesco held its AGM, holding giant letters that spelled out the words “Forest Crime.”
The 10-meter-wide sign was accompanied by 10,000 handwritten messages from customers urging Tesco to stop stocking up on unsustainable meat.
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A total of 10,000 messages – many of which threatened to boycott the supermarket if no action was taken – were received by Greenpeace and delivered to Tesco as part of the peaceful direct action.
Another 250,000 people have signed a petition calling on Tesco to abandon the forest destroyers.
A message from the indigenous Brazilian leader, Sonia Guajajara, was also written on one of the giant letters and handed alongside those of the customers.
Guajajara has joined hundreds of indigenous protesters outside the Brazilian Congress in Brasilia over the past two weeks to oppose a bill that, if approved, would open indigenous peoples’ lands to agriculture as well as major mining and infrastructure projects.
“Tesco, you have a choice. As the Amazon burns, will you continue to do business with the forest destroyers, fanning the flames of the fires? Or will you take your share of the blame and stop funding companies whose greed destroys the forest and threatens our culture, our land and our lives? Guajajara said.
Overnight, chalk stenciled messages stating “Tesco meat = deforestation” appeared at the entrances of Tesco stores across the country.
More than 200 stores have received this stenciled message so far, marking only the start of plans to visit every Tesco store in the UK.
Stores will be targeted with a series of peaceful direct actions over the next few months calling on Tesco’s role in deforestation and fires across Brazil to cut through supermarket greenwash.
Elena Polisano, Greenpeace UK Forestry Campaign Manager, said: “When Tesco sells you a British chicken, it doesn’t mention the forestry crime that took place to produce it.
“Tesco’s chicken supplier is owned by a company known for destroying the Amazon rainforest. And Tesco’s chicken is raised with soy which leads to deforestation and fires across Brazil.
“Indigenous peoples face a violation of their rights as forests like the Amazon are cut down and deliberately burned for industrial meat production. It kills wildlife, the risk of future pandemics increases and it disrupts the climate.
“10,000 buyers have sent personal appeals to Tesco to abandon forest destroyers in its supply chain – many of them threatening to boycott if it does not. Tesco cannot afford to ignore them and we will not stop campaigning until Tesco stops greenwashing and takes action.
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