Cemig ordered to indemnify agroindustry after mass poultry deaths

The Court of Justice of Minas Gerais (TJMG) has upheld the responsibility of Cemig Distribuição S.A. to indemnify an agroindustrial company in Sete Lagoas for material damages caused by power outages.

Between January and October 2015, successive interruptions in the electrical supply disabled temperature and humidity control systems in climate-controlled sheds. This led to the death of more than 7,700 birds at various stages of development due to extreme heat stress. The agroindustry sought R$ 74,787.21 in compensation to cover the lost livestock and feed inputs.

While Cemig argued that the outages were emergency measures caused by natural phenomena and atmospheric discharges, the court validated official technical reports from the Instituto Mineiro de Agropecuária (IMA) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) as sufficient evidence. The second-instance decision expanded upon a previous ruling that had only recognized damages for a single event, confirming that the public reports provided reliable proof of the losses.