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Brazil: Task force rescues 89 coffee‑harvest workers in Minas Gerais
A joint task force made up of the Auditoria‑Fiscal do Trabalho, the Ministério Público do Trabalho and the Federal Police rescued 89 workers who were harvesting coffee on three farms in the municipalities of Alto Caparaó, Mutum and Santana do Manhuaçu, in the Zona da Mata region of Minas Gerais. The workers were unregistered, lacked personal protective equipment, had no sanitary facilities and lived in degrading accommodations, conditions regarded as analogous to slavery.
Authorities notified the employers to regularise the situation: register the workers, terminate the contracts by cause and pay all severance, indemnities and a compensated notice period. Two farms paid the full amounts calculated by the auditors; a third settled only partially. The rescued workers will receive unemployment insurance and six monthly minimum‑wage payments. Employers risk fines under Brazil’s labour code article 444 and penal code article 149. About R$ 654,600 has already been paid to the workers, leaving roughly R$ 180,200 still unpaid.
Entities
Alto Caparaó · Auditoria‑Fiscal do Trabalho · Brazil · Cooxupé · ICE Futures US · Minas Gerais · Ministério Público do Trabalho · Mutum · National Coffee Council (CNC) · New York · Polícia Federal · Wallace Pacheco
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Delayed harvest forces higher drying temperatures, increasing risk of defects in coffee processing. globorural.globo.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] About 30 percent of Brazil's 2026/27 coffee crop remains in the field, exposed to excess moisture.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] New York ICE Futures Arabica coffee price for September 2026 closed at 339.40 cents per pound, up 4.58 percent.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] ICE Europe robusta coffee contracts closed higher, with September 2026 at $3,877 per tonne, up 2.05 percent.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Certified coffee stocks on ICE Futures US are at their lowest levels in recent years.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Cooxupé reported coffee harvest at 58.3 percent of its area, slower than previous years due to rain. globorural.globo.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Brazil's 2026 coffee harvest is uncertain due to El Niño-related climate effects and rainfall.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Rain during Brazil's late coffee harvest threatens Arabica quality and has caused price gains on New York ICE Futures.
- [● 20 SOURCES] The rescued workers will receive unemployment insurance and six monthly minimum‑wage payments. imprensapublica.com.br · www.acordacidade.com.br · www.noticiaja.com · correiodealagoas.com.br · euvivoaselecao.com.br · +15 more
- [● 20 SOURCES] Employers may be fined under Brazil’s labour code article 444 and penal code article 149 for slave‑like conditions. imprensapublica.com.br · www.acordacidade.com.br · www.noticiaja.com · correiodealagoas.com.br · euvivoaselecao.com.br · +15 more
- [● 20 SOURCES] Two farms paid the full calculated severance amounts; a third paid only partially. www.acordacidade.com.br · imprensapublica.com.br · www.noticiaja.com · correiodealagoas.com.br · euvivoaselecao.com.br · +15 more
- [● 20 SOURCES] The farms are located in Alto Caparaó, Mutum and Santana do Manhuaçu in the Zona da Mata region of Minas Gerais. www.acordacidade.com.br · www.noticiaja.com · euvivoaselecao.com.br · correiodealagoas.com.br · noticiasdefranca.com.br · +15 more