| Operation Weak Meat | |
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 Car of theFederal Police in front of theMinistry of Agriculture, in Brasília, during Operation Weak Meat. | |
| Court | Federal Judge Marcos Josegrei da Silva - 14th Federal Court ofFederal Judiciary inCuritiba/PR |
TheOperation Carne Fraca (Operation Weak Meat inBrazilian media inEnglish) is an operation started on March 17, 2017, and enforced by theFederal Police of Brazil, that country'sfederal police force, which investigated some of the country's largest meat processing companies. The name is a pun between the operation's concern with meat and the Bible verse about "weak flesh" (Matthew 26:41) – as a result, it is sometimes translated "Operation Weak Flesh".[2]
It is an operation launched by theFederal Police of Brazil, which began on March 17, 2017. It investigates the largest companies in the industry —JBS, owner of the brandsSeara,Swift,Friboi andVigor, andBRF, owner ofSadia andPerdigão — accused of adulterating the meat they sold in domestic and international markets.[3] The scandal of adulterated meat in Brazil involves more than thirty food companies in the country,[4][5] accused of selling spoiled meat, changing expiration dates, altering appearance, and using chemical products to seek the resale of spoiled meat and to point out government agents accused of allowing the sale of such meat.[6]
The companyJBS S.A. (which represents about a quarter of world's market on beef,[citation needed] and holds the trademarksFriboi,Seara Alimentos (Seara Foods),Swift Armour, andVigor) and theBRF company (which holds the trademarksPerdigão andSadia) are accused of having mixed rotten meat treated with chemical components into meat sold in Brazil and abroad.[3]
Recordings registered the interference of the thenMinister of Justice of theMichel Temer government,Osmar Serraglio, demanding from one of the scheme's leaders and main target of the investigation, Daniel Gonçalves Filho, information about the inspection at one of the involved meatpacking plants.[7]
Brazil is the world leader in beef and poultry exports and the fourth largest exporter of pork. In 2016, the sector's sales accounted for 7.2% of global trade.[5]
The BRF holding company, which controls Sadia and Perdigão, had forty-seven factories in the country and held 14% of the global poultry market, exporting to 120 countries. JBS, the largest meatpacker in the world, with the Friboi, Seara, Swift, and Pilgrim's Pride brands, exported meat to 150 countries.[8]
As an immediate effect, the shares of both JBS and BRF led the losses in theIbovespa on the day of the operation: a 7.25% decrease for BRF and a 10.59% decrease for JBS. Both companies had already experienced poor results in 2016, and it was assessed that they would face significant challenges in rebuilding trust.[8]
Phase 1 – March 17, 2017. The Federal Police conducted Operation Weak Meat, described as the largest operation in the history of the corporation. Over 1,100 federal police officers took to the streets to carry out 309 judicial orders in six states of Brazil and the Federal District. The court orders issued included 27 forpreventive custody, 11 fortemporary custody, 77 forcoercive detention, and 194 forsearch and seizure.[9]
According to the investigations, more than 30 companies and officials from theMinistry of Agriculture benefited from the scheme involving the sale of unsuitable meat for consumption.[3] The Federal Police stated that part of the bribes released in the scheme went to thePMDB, the party of the acting presidentMichel Temer,[5] and to thePP, a member of the ruling coalition.[3][5] Federal Police delegate Maurício Moscardi reminded that both entrepreneurs and public officials bear responsibility for the criminal acts against the population.[6] Within the Ministry of Agriculture, employees involved in the scheme transferred inspectors to ensure the continuity of the scheme. The refusal of an inspector to be transferred was what triggered the start of the investigations.[6] After the operation was launched by the Federal Police, 33 officials were suspended, and of these, four were dismissed.[10] Three meat processing units were closed: the BRF plant in Mineiros (GO) and the Peccin plants in Jaraguá do Sul (SC) and Curitiba (PR).[10]
Phase 2 (Antidote) – On May 31, 2017, the Federal Police carried out the second phase of the operation, executing three search and seizure warrants and one indefinite preventive custody warrant in Goiás. The main target of this phase was Francisco Carlos de Assis, former regional superintendent of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) in the state of Goiás. He was caught on phone intercepts discussing the destruction of evidence relevant to the investigation of Operation Weak Meat.
Phase 3 (Cheating) – On March 5, 2018, the Federal Police launched the third phase of the operation, targeting a fraud scheme uncovered in the companyBRF. The former president of the company,Pedro de Andrade Faria, was one of the ten individuals arrested by the agents. Ninety-one court orders were executed by the Federal Court in Paraná, including 11 temporary custody, 27 coercive detention, and 53 search and seizure warrants at BRF units. According to the Federal Police, the individuals under investigation may face charges such as document forgery, qualified embezzlement, and formation of a criminal organization, in addition to crimes against public health. These investigations were based on the findings of the first and second phases, which targeted dozens of meatpacking plants.[11] It was found that five laboratories and the company’s internal analysis departments falsified testing results.[12]
Authorities warned about the impact that the scandal could have on the national agribusiness sector and its potential economic consequences.[13]
The shares of JBS on theBM&FBovespa closed the day of March 17 with a decrease of over 11%, while BRF followed with a nearly 8% decline.[13][14] On that day alone, JBS experienced a market value loss of R$3.456 billion, while BRF's loss amounted to R$2.31 billion.[15]
TheNew York Times stated that the scandal "raises doubts about the agribusiness industry in Brazil, in the already affectednational economy, due to other scandals," while also mentioning the connection between the bribes originated in the scheme and the party of thePresident of Brazil.[13]
The British newspaperFinancial Times echoed the same sentiment as theNew York Times and also raised questions about the future of the meat industry in Brazil.[13]
The British newspaperThe Daily Telegraph mentioned the corruption allegations to keep spoiled meat on the market and its connection to federal government officials, a fact also highlighted by the American newspaperThe Washington Post.[13]
According to MinisterBlairo Maggi, theEuropean Union requested an emergency meeting with the Brazilian government to seek clarifications about the police operation and the investigations into the fraud.[16]
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Theminister of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply,Blairo Maggi, from theProgressive Party, stated on March 18 inCuiabá that some employees deviated from their duties and asserted that he will not stop consuming and recommends the consumption of Brazilian meat, stating that there is no risk at all.[17]
The Manager of International and Government Relations at BRF, Roney Nogueira dos Santos, was arrested by the Federal Police on March 18 atGuarulhos International Airport after arriving from abroad.[18]
On March 19, PresidentMichel Temer, after a meeting with ambassadors, announced a task force to investigate the targets of Carne Fraca.[19]
The main companies investigated and targeted in Operation Carne Fraca donated 393 million reais to politicians in the2014 general elections. The biggest beneficiary was thePT with 60.7 million reais. ThePMDB came in second place with 59.1 million reais, followed byPSDB with 58.1 million reais. ThePP and PR received 38.1 million and 24.4 million reais, respectively.[20]
Among the candidates, politicians affiliated with PT were the ones who received the most, totaling 60.6 million, while politicians from PMDB received 6.9 million, from PSDB 3.3 million reais, from PSD 3.1 million reais, and from PROS 1.6 million reais.[20]
In July 2017, Eumar Roberto Novacki,Brazil's secretary of state, inGeneva tried to convince European meat importers that Brazilian meat was of high quality. At the same time, new information onbribery of meat inspectors were published.[21]
Media related toOperação Carne Fraca at Wikimedia Commons| Key people |
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