Seven Lancashire Tesco stores targeted by Greenpeace activists over 'deforestation' claims

Tesco stores in Friargate, Penwortham, Warton, Blackpool, Turpin Green, Leyland and Towngate were targeted on Friday night (June 25).

It is part of an escalating nationwide protest before the supermarket chain’s annual general meeting.

Liz Stanton said ‘“When you buy a chicken from Tesco from a Lancashire store it won’t mention the forest crime that took place to produce it. Tesco’s chicken supplier is owned by a company notorious for destroying the Amazon rainforest.

“Indigenous Peoples are facing an assault on their rights as forests like the Amazon are being slashed and deliberately burned for industrial meat production. It’s killing wildlife, the risk of future pandemics is increasing and it’s playing havoc with the climate.

“10,000 shoppers have sent personal pleas for Tesco to drop forest destroyers from its supply chain - many threatening a boycott if it doesn’t. Tesco can’t afford to ignore them and we won’t stop campaigning until Tesco stops greenwashing and takes action.”

Greenpeace says chalk was used to produce the stencil, and does not harm the environment.

A Tesco spokeswoman said: “We require all our suppliers to meet our environmental and zero deforestation standards. We are fully committed to playing our part in tackling deforestation and met our 2020 industry-wide target of certified ‘zero net deforestation’ for our own soy sourcing a year early.

“We recognise there is more to do to ensure deforestation is prevented across the sector, which is why we’ve set an additional industry-leading target for the soy we use in the UK to be from entire areas that are verified deforestation-free by 2025.”