This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRASILIA 002692 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2015 
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI BR TIP
SUBJECT: BRAZIL'S LANDLESS MOVEMENT INVADES AMERICAN-OWNED 
FARM 
 
REF: BRASILIA 1317 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Dennis Hearne for reasons 1.4 
(B) an 
d (D). 
 
¶1. (U) Summary.  Between three and five hundred members of 
Brazil's Landless Movement (MST) invaded AgroReservas do 
Brazil, an American-owned farm management company based out 
of Utah, as part of its "Red September" offensive, launched 
during the week of September 26.  The MST's actions are aimed 
at pressuring President Lula da Silva to provide more 
resources for agrarian reform, and to fulfill his promise to 
resettle 400,000 families on undeveloped land by 2006. 
During the week, the MST invaded government buildings, farms, 
Banco do Brasil agencies, and toll bridges throughout the 
country.  MST members have invaded and are currently living 
in private homes on the AgroReservas property in Minas 
Gerais.  Military police officers have provided protection to 
the farm, and have confined the MST to the housing area of 
the farm.  The farm's manager is hopeful that an eviction 
order will be issued to the MST during the week of October 
¶10. End summary. 
 
RED SEPTEMBER 
------------- 
¶2. (U) During the week of September 26, approximately 15,000 
members of Brazil's Landless Movement (O Movimento dos Sem 
Terra/MST) launched "Red September," a series of land 
occupations, demonstrations, and press conferences to 
pressure President Lula da Silva's government to devote more 
resources to agrarian reform, and to fulfill his 2002 
campaign promise to settle 400,000 landless families by 2006. 
 Other MST demands include greater GOB funding for family 
farming and the creation of a special credit program for 
resettled families. 
 
¶3. (U) According to the MST, the GOB resettled 11,000 
families last year, and between January and August of this 
year, the GOB resettled 4,000 families.  Ministry of Agrarian 
Reform Executive Secretary Guilherme Cassel disputed the 
MST's statistics by claiming that the GOB resettled more than 
50,000 families this year.  Cassel admitted that the 
resettlement process has been slow, but blamed the delay on 
MST families who failed to provide basic identification 
information, such as Brazilian social security numbers, after 
being selected for resettlement. 
 
¶4.  (U) During the week, the MST occupied 26 National 
Institute for Colonization and Land Reform (INCRA) buildings, 
13 Banco do Brasil agencies, and seven toll bridges in 20 
states.  The MST announced on September 27 that it would 
continue land and building occupations until the GOB met the 
group's demands.  The group regularly employs the tactic of 
occupying farmland by hundreds of landless families until the 
government cedes title.  In recent years, the MST has become 
more belligerent and more likely to invade government 
buildings, farms, or land owned by multinationals. 
 
MST INVADES AMERICAN OWNED FARM 
------------------------------- 
¶5. (C) On September 25, AgroReservas do Brazil, an 
American-owned farm, was invaded by 300-500 MST members who 
moved into employees' homes, blocked access roads, cut down 
trees, and demanded 10,000 hectares of the property's 
farmable land.  The 70,000 hectare farm is owned by the Farm 
Management Company in Salt Lake City, Utah, and employs 300 
Brazilians and four Americans.  Although farm employees have 
not been able to access the housing area since the invasion 
began, they have been able to feed 7,000 cattle by entering 
the farm through neighboring farms, the farm's manager Macedo 
Genevil told Embassy Agricultural Attache.  According to 
Genevil, military police officials have confined the MST to 
the housing area on the property, and farming equipment has 
not been damaged. 
 
¶6. (C) The Minas Gerais state government has agreed to send 
an undisclosed number of military police to the farm, but 
before the police can be mobilized, a state judge must issue 
an eviction order against the MST.  During the week of 
September 26, the state judge decided to negotiate with MST 
leaders before issuing an eviction order, and Minas Gerais 
military police agreed to remain on the farm until the 
negotiations have concluded.  A Police Commander told Embassy 
Legal Attache on September 30 that the judicial process to 
evict the MST could be lengthy, and labor union laws and 
inadequate staffing may require the state government to cease 
police protection in the near future. 
 
¶7. (C) Genevil subsequently told Embassy Agricultural Attache 
that the judge who wanted to negotiate with the MST has been 
replaced by a "new, more reasonable judge."  Genevil sounded 
pleased with this decision and believed that an eviction 
order would be issued during the week of October 10. 
According to Genevil, the police will remain on the property 
until after farm managers meet with the military police chief 
to request a one week extension for police protection on 
October 5. 
 
COMMENT: 
-------- 
¶8. (SBU) AgroReservas is one of the largest and most 
technically advanced farms in Brazil, and the Foreign 
Agricultural Service often takes visitors such as the 
American Farmers Union and the American Farm Bureau to the 
farm to show the scale of farm operations in Brazil.  This 
invasion marks the first time that the MST has occupied an 
American farm, and while the invasion of the farm causes 
concern, post does not believe that the invasion was linked 
to the farm's connections to the United States.  Embassy 
Agricultural Attache believes that AgroReservas was targeted 
because the farm is one of the largest and most profitable 
farms in the state.  If this conflict is resolved quickly, 
post believes that the farm will sustain only nominal damage 
to homes and other items on the property.  However, if the 
judicial process delays eviction of the MST and police 
protection ceases, the farm will remain unattended, leaving 
the farming system and its profits in jeopardy. 
 
DANILOVICH