ZAGREB, Croatia, 12 June 2026 – After months of intense public protests, local communities and environmental groups in Croatia are celebrating a major victory after European poultry giant MHP withdrew from a chicken megaproject in northeast Croatia. The proposed megaproject would have quadrupled the country’s chicken production. The withdrawal officially cancels 12 of the 24 planned sub-projects that had been divided between two companies, bypassing stricter environmental regulations.

The planned facility would have been among the largest poultry projects in Europe, designed to slaughter 100 million chickens annually. In a move that avoids stricter environmental impact assessments, the project was divided into 24 separate sub-projects of which MHP was responsible for half. MHP is one of Europe’s largest poultry producers and slaughters over 500 million chickens each year. Local authorities recently confirmed the cancellation of MHP’s sub-projects to Friends of the Earth (FoE) Croatia, Animal Friends Croatia, and local citizen groups who have led the campaign. Greenpeace International campaigners have supported the grassroots movement over the last three months, including speaking at rallies in the towns of Sisak and Donja Dubrava.

Jasna Šumanovac , Campaigner at Zelena Akcija (Friends of the Earth Croatia), said: “We welcome MHP’s decision and at the same time call on them to, in accordance with their promises that they will not build farms and slaughterhouses in areas where there is strong resistance from the local community, abandon the construction of farms in the towns of Apatija and Veliki Pažut. The Ministry must now formally suspend all initiated procedures, and we will continue the fight until the last project is stopped.”

Luka Oman, President at Prijatelji Životinja (Animal Friends Croatia), said: “Croatian citizens have clearly said no to mega poultry farms and slaughterhouses. The Government should stop ignoring citizens and expert warnings and finally reject all remaining mega-farm projects in Croatia. Where mega farms arrive, there is no life left – neither for animals nor for people.”

The retreat by MHP follows sustained grassroots mobilisation, including large-scale public demonstrations in the capital city of Zagreb and Sisak, the regional hub of the affected area. Locals were concerned that the industrial poultry operation would pollute local soil, air and waterways, amongst other detrimental environmental impacts.[1] In a recent interview, the Chief Executive Officer of MHP, dubbed the ‘Chicken King’, tacitly conceded that the company pulled out of the region due to the intense local resistance.[2]

Despite the victory, the remaining 12 sub-projects are still being pursued by another investor,  Premium Chicken Company (PCC). The developer has threatened local non-governmental organisations with lawsuits, echoing tactics used by other major corporations to silence community dissent.

Dániel Nyitray, Campaigner at Greenpeace International added: “This clucking mad mega-project posed a significant threat to public health and the environment, but communities in Croatia have come together to show that when we stand together, we can stop corporations and their billionaire bosses in their tracks. 

“Wherever in the world agribusiness giants like MHP threaten to destroy nature and pollute our air and water in the name of profit, communities like these are organising to defend their land and livelihoods. While work still needs to be done to ensure the remainder of this development is canned, this is a huge victory for people power that sends a message to corporations everywhere: not here, not anywhere.”

Croatia’s local campaigns have vowed to continue fighting until PCC’s portion of the project is also fully terminated. Activists are standing in solidarity with other communities across Croatia who are currently facing the threat of massive industrial meat production developments in their neighbourhoods. Greenpeace is calling on governments to set binding rules that halt new factory farms and hold Big Ag accountable for polluting local environments and exacerbating the global climate crisis.

ENDS

Notes:

[1] H-Alter, ‘Institucije upozoravale na ozbiljne nedostatke i rizike planiranih megafarmi’ (2025)

[2] Jutarnji List, Ukrajinac koji je htio graditi megafarmu pilića kraj Siska: ‘Odustajemo. Imamo dobar razlog, ali i planove za Hrvatsku‘ (2026)

Contacts:

Joe Evans, Global Comms Lead at Greenpeace UK, +44 7890 595387, joe.evans@greenpeace.org

Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org

“We are dying silently. Without knowing it, our mothers are feeding their babies with breast milk contaminated by mercury.”

Standing before representatives of the Dutch government, Alessandra Korap Munduruku described a reality that rarely reaches ministerial offices in Europe. While the price of gold rises and the world debates trade, investment and global supply chains, Indigenous communities in the Amazon live every day with the impacts of expanding soy production, cattle ranching and illegal gold mining: contaminated rivers, destroyed forests, violence and a public health crisis that threatens entire generations.

Alessandra’s testimony was one of dozens shared by Indigenous leaders from the Brazilian Amazon during The True Cost of Gold tour, organized by Greenpeace Brazil. Over ten days, Alessandra Korap Munduruku, from the Munduruku people; Megaron Txucarramãe and Beptuk Metuktire, from the Kayapó people; traveled across France, the Netherlands and Belgium, bringing firsthand accounts of the threats facing their territories and ways of life directly to governments, parliamentarians and international institutions. During the first leg of the tour in France, the delegation also included Juma Xipaia, from the Xipaya people, who helped amplify the voices and demands of Amazonian Indigenous Peoples in key political and public forums.

The delegation’s message was clear: while international markets continue to consume and profit from gold, soy and other commodities linked to forest destruction, Indigenous Peoples continue to bear the real costs of this exploitation. Decisions that affect the Amazon cannot continue to be made without listening to those who have protected these territories for millenia.

“Many companies enter the forest saying they are searching for wealth. But what kind of wealth is that?” asked Chief Megaron Txucarramãe during the tour. “For Indigenous Peoples, wealth means food, health and peace.”

The tour took place just days after the release of Greenpeace Brazil’s investigation, Gold Laundering in the Amazon: Anatomy of a Fraud, which revealed how regulatory loopholes allow gold extracted illegally from Indigenous Territories and protected areas to be laundered and sold as if it were legally sourced, eventually entering global supply chains and international markets.

But the message brought to Europe went far beyond the cost of gold.

Bringing Amazon Voices into Decision-Making Spaces

Throughout the tour, Indigenous leaders met with civil society organisations, journalists, supporters, policymakers and Indigenous representatives from other territories. Among the highlights were a series of high-level meetings with government officials and international institutions.

One of the most significant moments took place in the Netherlands during a meeting with Minister of Nature and Agriculture Jaimi van Essen.

During the discussion, Indigenous leaders highlighted the impacts of expanding infrastructure linked to agribusiness in the Amazon, particularly the Arco Norte project, a vast network of railways, ports and waterways designed to facilitate commodity exports such as soy. The delegation also drew attention to the role that Europe, and the Netherlands with its giant port of Rotterdam in particular, plays in global supply chains and the need to reduce the pressure that current production, consumption and trade patterns place on Indigenous territories.

The conversation also addressed the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the importance of recognising and protecting Indigenous territories as a fundamental strategy for achieving the global biodiversity target to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030. The meeting was marked by constructive dialogue and an acknowledgment by the Dutch government of the crucial role Indigenous rights play in nature protection.

The minister and his staff confirmed their commitment to protecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights in the CBD process and said they will bring these concerns to the next negotiations in autumn, while also acknowledging the relevance of the Netherlands and the EU in the context of agribusiness.

In France, another key moment was a meeting with representatives from the office of the Ministry for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, Forests, the Sea and Fisheries. The discussion with diplomatic adviser Gabriel Normand and his team provided an opportunity to present directly to French policymakers the impacts of illegal mining and other destructive activities affecting Indigenous territories in the Amazon.

The French agenda also included a meeting with Barbara Pompili, France’s Ambassador for the Environment, and her team. In addition, the delegation met with members of the France-Brazil Friendship Group in the French National Assembly, expanding dialogue around international responsibility, supply chain accountability and the urgent need to strengthen protections for Indigenous Peoples and their territories.

A Global Struggle for a Shared Future

Throughout the tour, Indigenous leaders emphasised that decisions made in parliaments, ministries, financial institutions and consumer markets around the world have direct consequences for forests and the people who depend on them.

At the same time, they demonstrated that solutions to many of today’s environmental crises already exist. They can be found in Indigenous territories, in forest-based economies that keep ecosystems standing, and in communities that have cared for land, water and biodiversity for generations.

The message from the Indigenous leaders is clear: protecting Indigenous rights is not only a matter of justice. It is one of the most effective ways to protect tropical forests, tackle the climate crisis and secure a livable future for all.

Meet the Indigenous Leaders

Juma Xipaia

Juma is one of the most prominent Indigenous leaders in the Amazon and a powerful advocate for Indigenous rights, environmental protection and gender equality. She became the first woman Chief in the Middle Xingu at the age of 24, leading the Xipaya Tukamã village. In 2020, she founded Instituto Juma, dedicated to environmental conservation, Indigenous self-determination and women’s empowerment. Due to her opposition to illegal mining and criminal activities in the Amazon, she survived multiple assassination attempts and spent a period in exile in Switzerland. Her story is featured in the acclaimed documentary Yanuni (2025), executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Megaron Txucarramãe

Megaron is a renowned Indigenous leader, environmentalist and key figure in Brazil’s Indigenous rights movement. A member of the Kayapó (Mẽbêngôkre) people and the nephew and designated successor of Chief Raoni Metuktire, he has spent decades defending Indigenous territories, forests and constitutional rights. 

Beptuk Metuktire

Beptuk is an emerging Indigenous leader from the Kayapó (Mẽbêngôkre) people and a coordinator at Instituto Raoni. As the grandson of Chief Raoni Metuktire, he represents a new generation of Indigenous leadership, combining traditional knowledge with contemporary advocacy. 

Alessandra Korap Munduruku

Alessandra is an internationally recognized Indigenous activist whose advocacy has helped bring global attention to the impacts of illegal mining, logging and infrastructure projects in the Amazon. Her campaigning contributed to Anglo American’s withdrawal from mining projects overlapping the Sawré Muybu Indigenous Territory in 2021. In recognition of her leadership, she received the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize. Today, she is a prominent voice in international debates on climate justice, biodiversity and the future of the Amazon.

Indigenous Peoples and local communities are the best guardians of the Amazon and other forests around the world, and must be recognised as such. Greenpeace is calling on world leaders to stop the industrial destruction and recognise Indigenous Peoples’ territories and rights.

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Jaqueline Sordi is the Communications and Engagement Lead for the Tropical Forests campaign at Greenpeace International.

A big fan of peace, an A-list red carpet, and a robust defence of science. Here are some of our favourite images from Greenpeace work around the world this week.

Aotearoa / New Zealand – To celebrate World Wind Day and mark the 100th day of Donald Trump’s war on Iran, which has seen oil prices spike and cost of living rise worldwide as a result, Greenpeace Aotearoa activists visited Te Uku wind farm near Raglan and transformed wind turbines into peace signs with the message “THIS MACHINE STOPS WARS”.

Germany – At the 2026 Bonn Climate Conference, a group of countries and civil society representatives hosted by Friends of Science spoke to the press to defend science as the heart of decision-making in the UNFCCC process, and discuss how science paves the way for a future that is secure, safe, and healthy for everyone.

Speakers included:
Manjeet Dhakal (Least Developed Countries Group)
Felix Wertli (Switzerland)
Sivendra Michael (Fiji)
Sindra Sharma, PHD, Pacific Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN)
Gabriel Kapka (Sierra Leone)

Spain – Greenpeace Spain has used a thermal camera at high schools around the country to record temperatures far above recommended levels in public schools in Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, Ourense, and Seville. This illustrates the heat endured by students and school staff during Spain’s hottest days.

Greenpeace joins forces with other organisations in the sector to demand urgent measures to cool classrooms and schoolyards. In the face of increasingly intense and frequent heat waves, public spaces must serve as climate-controlled refuges to prevent the worst effects of climate change on the health of children, who are especially vulnerable to high temperatures.

Malaysia – Over 1,500 Orang Asli and Orang Asal (Indigenous Peoples) from six different states in Peninsular Malaysia marched along the streets of Putrajaya’s Persiaran Perdana to protest in front of the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development calling for the recognition of their customary land rights.

Kenya – To mark the start of the Our Oceans conference, Greenpeace Africa volunteers and community members gathered at Pirates Beach/ Jomo Kenyatta Beach in Mombasa, Kenya, around a sand installation carrying the message ‘The Ocean Connects Us All’ to highlight the interconnected challenges facing coastal communities across Africa and the need for ocean protection

Netherlands – Greenpeace Netherlands activists hold a banner at an Allseas ship in the Rotterdam harbour. Greenpeace warns Allseas that deep sea mining under American legislation is a violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and call on the Dutch government to take action.

USA – Actor and activist Jane Fonda on the red carpet at the the theatrical release of the Greenpeace documentary GASLIT, directed by Katie Camosy. The feature-length film follows actor and activist Jane Fonda as she traveled across the oil fields of Texas and Louisiana, visiting communities and hearing stories from those directly impacted by the petrochemical industry. Theatrical events were held in New York City, Los Angeles, Houston, TX, Washington, DC, New Orleans, LA, and Oakland, CA.

The Netherlands – An Indigenous delegation from the Brazilian Amazon visits The Hague during their European tour. Here the Indigenous leaders present the Amazon petition to Minister Jaimi van Essen (Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature). The core message of the petition is: protect the Amazon rainforest and stand with the Indigenous peoples.

Spain – Tens of thousands of people took part in a massive demonstration against the Altri/Greenfiber mega-cellulose plant project in Palas de Rei (A Ulloa, Galicia) and the reopening of the Touro-O Pino mine under the slogan “In defense of the Ulla River and the Arousa estuary. Let’s stop Altri and the Touro-O Pino mine.” Both projects would have a massive environmental impact on the Ulla River basin, which flows into the Arousa estuary—the most productive yet also the most environmentally degraded in Galicia.

Hawaii – Kanaka Maoli artist Kaiʻili Kaulukukui, Native Hawaiian leaders, and cultural practitioners dedicate a 6,500-square-foot mural in Kapālama Kai on Oʻahu inspired by the Kumulipo, the Hawaiian genealogical creation chant. The artwork reflects Native Hawaiian relationships with the ocean and comes as Indigenous leaders across the Pacific call for greater representation in decisions about ocean protection and deep sea mining.

From left:
– Angéla Árvai ~ Project Manager. Artwork of Kai
– Kanaka Maoli mural artist Kaiʻili Kaulukukui
– Solomon “Uncle Sol” Kaho`ohalahala, Kanaka Maoli cultural practitioner and Indigenous Knowledge Keeper
– Edwin “Ekolu” Lindsey III, Director & Co-Founder, Maui Nui Makai Network.
– Brittany Lehua Kamai, Kanaka Maoli Ph.D. Astrophysicist, apprentice navigator, and ocean advocate (Mana Moana Institute)

Greenpeace has been a pioneer of photo activism for more than 50 years, and remains committed to bearing witness and exposing environmental injustice through the images we capture.

To see more Greenpeace photos and videos, visit our Media Library.

Bonn, Germany – The Bonn Climate Change Conference has ended with important work still to be done to progress efforts to phase-out fossil fuels, protect forests and deliver progress on climate and adaptation finance.

Jasper Inventor, Deputy Programme Director, Greenpeace International said: “Stalled talks around climate finance for developing countries and a repeated deadlock on mitigation played out in Bonn again. It’s this repeated playbook that took some of the shine off the emergence of a coalition of countries supporting a transition away from fossil fuels at a time where the climate and energy crisis is set to be supercharged by the El Niño.

“Still, Bonn laid some foundations for COP31: climate finance work is on the COP31 agenda, creating a political pathway for negotiations. The negotiating text on just transition will also form a basis for further negotiations, but no conclusions were reached on mitigation, showing that while this process is still moving, it is far away from political breakthroughs.

“To bridge the 1.5°C ambition gap, governments must now sustain and strengthen international cooperation in and outside the UNFCCC. Instead of systematically trying to renegotiate 1.5°C and eliminate science from key negotiating tracks, what’s required is a fair, fast and funded just transition and an end to forest destruction by 2030.”

Shiva Gounden, Head of Pacific, Greenpeace Australia Pacific said: “An unrelenting war on climate science took place in Bonn as fossil fuel producing nations attempted to erode the 1.5°C mandate, cutting into the negotiation tracks meant to guarantee the dignified survival of the most vulnerable to climate change. But we refuse to let these rooms become detached from the Pacific’s reality, where a breached 1.5°C will drown our history and displace our heritage, as saltwater bleeds into the Vanua (land) that has sustained us for generations.”

“This crisis requires more than diplomacy; it requires Pacific courage. The COP31 Presidency must take the helm, grounded in our deeply held values of guardianship and collective survival. True leadership demands the domestic, regional and global bravery to chart a course away from fossil fuels and with moral clarity, stop every new coal, oil, and gas project in its tracks.”

Emel Türker Alpay, Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Türkiye said: “The COP31 presidency put electrification on the global agenda, showing it understands the scale of the challenge. But an electrification vision without a fossil fuel phase-out is incomplete and global leadership must be matched by action at home. COP31 can be historic if the electrification ambition is matched by clear commitments to make it real. For Türkiye that means a commitment to no new coal power plants, a coal exit date and a just transition away from fossil fuels that leaves no worker or community behind. Türkiye has the opportunity and the responsibility to make it happen.”

An Lambrechts, Biodiversity Policy Expert, Greenpeace International said: “We lose one football field of forests every 2 seconds and we heard many parties recognise the need to act fast and support Brazil’s forest roadmap initiative. It’s now time to shift from endorsement to ownership to effectively halt forest destruction by 2030. At COP31, a group of 2030 forest target champions must make sure the roadmap doesn’t get lost as yet another document that doesn’t connect ambition with action and an international system that works for forests and people.”

ENDS

Photo and Video from the conference available to download via the Greenpeace Media Library

Contacts:
Beyza Kural, Senior Communication Expert, Greenpeace Türkiye, +90 5336 417 123, beyza.kural@greenpeace.org

Kate O’Callaghan, Communications Manager, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, +61 4062 31892 kate.ocallaghan@greenpeace.org

Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org