BELÉM, Brazil – Smoke from a simple grill filled the enclosed hall of Agrizone, where men—mostly white and many with hats—held paper boxes of picanha steak, rice and beans, flour, and vinaigrette. Among them was the straw-hatted Silvério Fernandes, a logger long linked to agrarian disputes in Anapu and Altamira, in Pará’s Xingu Valley.
On Monday evening (Nov. 17), Silvério sat in the front row during a ceremony held before a barbecue hosted by Abiec (Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries), part of Sustainable Livestock Day at Agrizone—the official agribusiness pavilion for COP30. Afterwards, he mingled with leaders, politicians, and executives.
In 2002, three years before US missionary Dorothy Stang was killed, Silvério allegedly threatened her by offering a ride and warning that if anyone invaded his property, “there would be blood up to his shins”.
Dorothy reported the incident to the Federal Police. After her murder, the convicted gunman, Regivaldo Pereira Galvão—known as Taradão—hid at the farm owned by Délio Fernandes, Silvério’s brother. Délio was investigated as a possible mastermind but never faced trial. Silvério was also never held accountable.
On Monday night, Silvério mingled with several prominent ruralists, including Carlos Xavier, president of the Federal of Agriculture and Livestock of Pará (Faepa), and Gedeão Pereira, vice-president of the National Rural Learning Service (CNA).
Two state agricultural inspectors dined at a table at the event as Brazil’s Agriculture Minister, Carlos Fávaro, stopped by briefly. “Today is a day for relaxation,” he said, holding a beer and declining interviews.
Brazil’s Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Fávaro, attended a barbecue organized by Abiec at the Agrizone, Embrapa’s space at COP30 (Photo: Fernando Martinho/Repórter Brasil).
On stage, The Fruits of Our Land—a band of five older men—played Brazilian classics. As they performed The Drunkard and the Tightrope Walker, a song evoking victims of the dictatorship, guests ate and drank in a convivial atmosphere.
During a 2018 phone interview, Silvério threatened a reporter with an intimidating tone, expressing a desire to “look the reporter in the eye.” When asked if that was a threat, he replied: “What threat? Fuck you, boy.”
On Tuesday (Nov. 18), Repórter Brasil contacted Faepa’s press office, where Silvério serves as fiscal advisor and regional coordinator in the Transamazônica area—s