Agribusiness giant Cargill not doing enough to fight deforestation, protect human rights, group says

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE
Associated Press

A coalition of activist groups and researchers has released a report it hopes will increase pressure on agribusiness giant Cargill to do more to fight deforestation and human rights abuse. The document released Wednesday accuses the family-owned company of not following through on commitments to help end such practices. It contends that Cargill has been misled by its managers and now should take the lead in ensuring its promises are carried out to fight forced child labor in the cocoa industry and protect forests and other natural resources. The group says that as one of the world’s largest privately held companies, Cargill is in a unique position to force positive changes. Cargill released a statement saying the group “grossly mischaracterized” the company’s actions.