Indigenous minister calls on Lula to kill farm lobby's land bill

Brazil’s first Indigenous cabinet minister is calling on President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to veto a bill pushed through Congress by the farm lobby. Both the minister and Indigenous leaders warn that the bill would undermine ancestral land rights and threaten their way of life. The bill, which was passed in the Senate late last month and is awaiting Lula’s signature to become law, would restrict Indigenous reservations to land they lived on in 1988. However, the Supreme Court has ruled this deadline unconstitutional.

Lula has until October 20th to veto the legislation. This move to veto the bill would put him against the powerful agribusiness lobby in Brazil, which is the world’s top exporter of soy, corn, and other farm goods. Indigenous Affairs Minister Sonia Guajajara is urging the president not to sign the bill. The largest umbrella organization of Brazil’s Indigenous People (APIB) is also campaigning on social media, calling on Lula to veto the entire bill.

Guajajara said in an interview with Reuters that they are unsure whether Lula will veto the whole bill or just parts of it, but there will be some form of veto. Farmers argue that the bill will provide greater legal security for their land ownership and help avoid land conflicts as Brazil’s agricultural frontier expands into the Amazon region. Brazil’s Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro is hoping for a negotiated solution to the issue.

The government initially planned to veto the entire bill but is currently looking for ways to preserve certain parts of the legislation. This is to prevent further strain on the relationship between Congress and the Supreme Court. According to sources familiar with the deliberations, the unconstitutional 1988 cut-off date in the bill will definitely be vetoed to avoid its overturning by the Supreme Court, which would worsen the conflict.

Minister Guajajara stated that advocates for influential sectors in Congress, such as farmers, cattle ranchers, and miners, rushed the bill through without allowing any room for debate. She explained that these advocates want the 1988 deadline to ensure that traditional Indigenous lands that have been invaded or occupied would remain the property of farmers. The bill also includes other anti-Indigenous proposals, allowing commercial mining and farming on reservations, using genetically modified crops, and leasing land to non-Indigenous farmers, which is currently prohibited.

If the bill becomes law, it would limit the establishment of new reservations and the expansion of existing ones. Guajajara condemned the bill, stating that it allows for the expropriation of reservation land if Indigenous inhabitants lose their physical and cultural Indigenous traits, which she considers racist. APIB’s executive coordinator, Kleber Karipuna, describes the bill as “totally unconstitutional” and a threat to the existence of Brazil’s 1.6 million Indigenous people. If the bill is enacted, APIB plans to request the Supreme Court’s revocation of it.

Karipuna also mentioned that APIB has requested a meeting with President Lula and is currently waiting for a reply. Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia; Editing by Brad Haynes and Kirsten Donovan.