ENVIRONMENTAL activists are targeting hundreds of Tesco stores nationwide with a campaign of protests, accusing the supermarket chain of selling food produced on agricultural land created by destroying rainforests.

Campaign group Greenpeace has called on Tesco customers to join its protests, which have taken place at 715 stores so far.

Actions have included leaving a stencilled message on the ground at the entrances to more than 270 stores stating: “Tesco meat = deforestation.”

Greenpeace says that Tesco continues to sell meat products produced using on land from which forest has been cleared.

A Greenpeace statement said: “Despite Tesco claiming to have met its deforestation targets, its meat is not deforestation-free.

“It buys British chicken and pork from suppliers owned by notorious rainforest destroyer JBS. 

“JBS recently admitted it would accept deforestation in its supply chain for another 14 years.

“And Tesco continues to sell more soya-fed, factory-farmed meat than any other UK supermarket. 

“It has already failed to keep its promise of zero deforestation by 2020 and its plans to buy soya ‘only from deforestation-free areas’ by 2025 are meaningless, given the complete collapse in 2019 of talks involving traders to agree protection for whole areas from soya.”

Tesco stores in Greater Manchester are among the latest to be hit by protests.

Malcolm Atkinson, a Manchester music therapist who had never taken part in a Greenpeace action before, said: “The potential loss of the Amazon rainforest in my lifetime is what made me do this.”

Greenpeace activists protested at Tesco’s annual general meeting in June, holding placards reading: “Forest crime.”

A Tesco Spokesperson said: “Clearing forest land for crops must stop - we are committed to fully playing our part to prevent further deforestation. We met our 2020 industry-wide target of certified ‘zero net deforestation’ for our own direct soy sourcing a year early.

“Recognising there is more to do, we have set an additional 2025 target to only source our UK soy from verified zero deforestation regions. Our suppliers meet our zero deforestation standards, and we are working with them to meet our 2025 goal.

“We oppose any weakening of forest protection laws and have called on the Brazilian Congress to uphold existing protections.”