Behind the smokescreen

Environmental destruction and slave-like working conditions in the European tobacco industry

During the harvest season, Repórter Brasil and Danwatch travelled to three Brazilian states accountable for 95% of the national production. The team gathered evidence on how farmers are facing frequent intoxication symptoms from the heavy use of pesticides, besides other labour issues.

The investigation reveals the environmental and health impacts faced by local Brazilian farmers due to tobacco production sold to European and North American multinational companies. During the harvest season, Repórter Brasil and Danwatch travelled to three Brazilian states accountable for 95% of the national production. The team gathered evidence on how farmers are facing frequent intoxication symptoms from the heavy use of pesticides, besides other labour issues.

Divided into three news articles, Repórter Brasil's investigation reveals that almost half of the pesticides used in local farms are made with substances forbidden in the EU. It also gathers testimonies of the intense working conditions during the harvest season and how a slave-like conditions case officially recognized by the federal labour inspection is related to Universal Leaf supply chain. We also explain how tobacco companies are pushing national regulatory agencies to sell the so-called “non-smoking cigarettes”.

In a big feature story Danwatch introduces the political director of Philip Morris Denmark who travels to Brazil to meet Danwatch and Reporter Brasil and defend the sustainability in the tobacco production of Philip Morris’ suppliers. The story follows the charm offensive of Philip Morris and confronts it with the realities Danwatch and Reporter Brasil find when visiting farms independently: the application of pesticides forbidden in the EU without the use of safety equipment and workers experiencing pesticide poisoning and green tobacco sickness. The story also reveals child labour in the supply chain of British American Tobacco.