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☆ Top Republican donors fund group doxxing pro-Palestinian college students
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The contributors listed on the tax return include billionaire Republican megadonor Jeff Yass, who Accuracy in Media said gave it $1 million. The family foundation of shipping supply magnate Richard Uihlein is also identified on the tax return, which says the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation gave $10,000. According to its tax return, Accuracy in Media said it received $15,000 from the Coors brewing family's charitable foundation. But AIM president Adam Guillette told CNBC Yass had been misidentified, and he did not give to the organization. Nonprofit groups are not required to release their donors' names publicly, but they are required to report to the IRS the names of donors who gave $5,000 or more.

Persons: Claudine Gay, Pat Greenhouse, Jeff Yass, Richard Uihlein, Ed Uihlein, Milstein, Adam Milstein, Adolph Coors, Peter H, Janine, John Harvard, Joseph Prezioso, Adam Guillette, Guillette, Phil Headley, Uihlein, Israel, Ben Curtis Organizations: Harvard, Harvard University, Boston Globe, CNBC, Media, Foundation, Milstein Family Foundation, Internal Revenue, Coors, Adolph Coors Foundation, Molson Coors, Susquehanna International Group, Pro, Harvard University in, Afp, Getty, IRS, CNBC Yass, JBS, Company, AIM, Nonprofit, Independent Women's, South, IWF, Amazon, Project Veritas, Harvard College Locations: Yass, Uihlein, Harvard University in Cambridge , Massachusetts, South Carolina, Israel, Gaza, Harvard University in Cambridge

☆ Cultivated Meat’s Empty Promise of Revolution - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Joe Fassler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It is a gleaming vision of a world just beyond the present: a world in which meat is abundant and affordable with almost no cost to the environment. Meat without killing is the central promise of what’s come to be known as cultivated meat. Between 2016 and 2022, investors poured almost $3 billion into cultivated meat and seafood companies. Two of the leading companies — Eat Just and Upside Foods, both startups — reportedly achieved billion-dollar valuations. And today, a few products that include cultivated cells have been approved for sale in Singapore, the United States and Israel.

Persons: what’s, —, Qatar Investment Authority —, Tyson, Cargill, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bill Gates, Richard Branson . Organizations: Qatar Investment Authority, JBS, Foods Locations: Temasek, Singapore, United States, Israel

☆ Medibank attack: Australia publicly names and sanctions Russian hacker Aleksandr Ermakov over data leak
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Brisbane, Australia CNN —Australia has publicly named and imposed cyber sanctions on a Russian hacker for his alleged role in a 2022 ransomware attack, in the country’s first use of the penalty. At the time, the Australian Federal Police said investigators knew the identity of the attackers but declined to name them. On Tuesday, the Australian government revealed the name of the individual sanctioned — Russian national Aleksandr Ermakov, 33, an alleged member of the Russian ransomware gang REvil. When the Medibank attack took place later that year, experts said it could have been perpetrated by a REvil member — which Australian authorities confirmed on Tuesday. An initial ransom demand was made for $10 million (15 million Australian dollars).

Persons: Aleksandr Ermakov, “, ” Richard Marles, GCHQ —, Marles, “ REvil, ” Abigail Bradshaw, Medibank, — Organizations: Australia CNN —, Australian Federal Police, Medibank, Australian Signals Directorate, FBI, National Security Agency, NSA, United Kingdom’s, Microsoft, JBS Foods, Russia’s Federal Security Service, REvil, Australian Cyber Security, ” Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Australia CNN — Australia, Russian, United States

Trading on the world's largest exchange would give JBS, which applied in July, access to more capital and enhance its credibility. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesThe dispute highlights the connection between finance and various drivers of climate change, such as deforestation. Two-thirds of Amazon deforestation results from conversion to pasture for livestock, according to the Brazilian government. In 2020, it created the JBS Fund For the Amazon. In the three years since inception, the JBS Fund for The Amazon has provided $15 million to 20 projects, according to its website.

Persons: ”, JBS, Elon Musk, Carlos Nobre, Liège Correia, Andrea Azevedo, “, ” Azevedo, Azevedo, Glenn Hurowitz, it's Organizations: Securities and Exchange Commission, New York Stock Exchange, U.S, Democrats, Republicans, SEC, NYSE, Associated Press, Brazil’s Agencia Publica, JBS S.A, JBS Fund, The, Forest Peoples Connection, Elon, SpaceX, Good Food Institute, United Nations, JBS, AP Locations: BRASILIA, Brazil, United States, United Kingdom, Rondonia, pirarucu, U.S, Dubai, AP.org

☆ Lawmakers are trying to keep meatpacking giant JBS from trading on NYSE, citing links to deforestation
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US and UK lawmakers are rallying against an IPO by the world's largest meatpacker, JBS. Brazil says two-thirds of Amazon deforestation comes from converting land into pastures for livestock. Trading on the world's largest exchange would give JBS access to more capital and enhance its credibility. "The company has made repeated claims that it will eliminate deforestation but has not taken meaningful steps to do so." Two-thirds of Amazon deforestation results from conversion to pasture for livestock, according to the Brazilian government.

Persons: JBS Organizations: Service, Securities and Exchange Commission, New York Stock Exchange, New, U.S, Democrats, Republicans, SEC, NYSE, JBS S.A Locations: Brazil, United States, United Kingdom, New York

☆ Opinion | What America’s Eating Affects Its Water Supply
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “America’s Diet Is Feeding a Groundwater Crisis” (“Uncharted Waters” series, front page, Dec. 30):The world has been making meat basically the same way for about 10,000 years, by feeding crops to animals, so that humans can eat animals. This method of meat production is inefficient, requiring vast quantities of land and water, and shifting crop production to lower-value crops for animal feed from high-value crops for human consumption. Plant-based and cultivated meat use far less land and water, and they have a host of other benefits. The Center for Strategic and International Studies released a report in May documenting how these “alternative proteins” can create opportunities for farmers, jobs in the heartland, more choices for consumers and robust export markets. Like any more efficient production method, these new ways of making meat are a win-win for industry, which is why we’re seeing leadership in these sectors from major meat and food companies including ADM (Archer-Daniels-Midland), Cargill, Tyson, Nestle and JBS.

Persons: Cargill, Tyson Organizations: Strategic, International, ADM, Archer, Daniels, Nestle, JBS Locations: Midland

☆ Brazilian lender Itau launches crypto trading
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Brazilian bank Itau Unibanco (ITUB4.SA) on Monday launched a cryptocurrency trading service for clients of its investment platform, making the nation's largest lender the latest local player to enter the market for the digital asset's exchange. "It starts with bitcoin, but our overarching strategic plan is to expand to other crypto assets in the future," he said, adding any expansion would depend on how crypto regulation in the country evolved. Itau argues it will stand out from rivals as it also acts as a custodian, safeguarding users' assets, Antunes said. The move comes about a month after two local players announced they were leaving the crypto market. Brokerage and investments company XP (XP.O) did not say why it was shutting down its crypto service, but financial services firm PicPay, owned by conglomerate J&F which also controls meatpacker JBS (JBSS3.SA), cited regulatory uncertainties.

Persons: Guto Antunes, Itau, Antunes, meatpacker, Paula Arend Laier, Andre Romani, Kylie Madry, Chris Reese Organizations: SAO PAULO, Monday, Thomson Locations: bitcoin, Brazil

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday it will extend for up to 90 days a trial program that allows six U.S. pork plants to operate faster processing-line speeds while collecting data on how the speeds affect meatpacking workers. Some activist groups like Food & Water Watch had opposed the program as a risk to food safety. A judge in 2021 invalidated that rule after the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union, which represents many meatpacking workers, sued the USDA over worker safety concerns. Plants in the trial were also assigned to collect data on how line speeds affect workers and share it with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Reporting by Tom Polansek in Chicago and Leah Douglas in Washington; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tyson, JBS's, UFCW, Tom Polansek, Leah Douglas, Bernadette Baum Organizations: U.S . Department of Agriculture, Tyson, JBS SA, Water Watch, JBS's Swift Pork Company, Companies, United Food, Commercial Workers, U.S . Occupational Safety, Health Administration, U.S . Senate, Thomson Locations: Nebraska, Illinois, U.S, Chicago, Washington

☆ Australian sheep, cattle prices slump as El Nino scorches pastures
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Peter Hobson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

After three years of plentiful rain and rising livestock numbers, dry weather has withered pastures across Australia. The extreme change in conditions has helped trigger the fastest plunge in cattle and sheep prices in decades, threatening livelihoods in Australia's A$75 billion ($50 billion) red meat and livestock industry. While farmers suffer, falling livestock prices have brought some relief to Australian households hurting from high inflation. Falling U.S. beef production means demand for Australian beef should rise, helping support livestock prices, said Angus Gidley-Baird, an analyst at Rabobank in Sydney. Agricultural consultants Episode 3 estimate that Australian beef processors are reaping their best profits in at least two decades thanks to low local cattle prices and high sale prices in export markets.

Persons: Angus Hobson, Peter Hobson, Angus, Hobson, Stuart Austin, Wilmot, Angus Gidley, Baird, Teys, Mat Larkings, gaunt, haven't, they'll, Sonali Paul Organizations: Livestock, New, REUTERS, Beef, Livestock Australia, Woolworths, Data Monitor, Rabobank, Meat packers, Teys Australia, Farmers, Thomson Locations: Delegate, New South Wales, Australia, Angus Hobson's, Australia's, United States, El Nino, Japan, China, Sydney, Walcha

☆ Brazil food processor BRF widens net loss in Q3 on grain prices, chicken glut
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Logos of Brazilian meatpacker BRF SA are seen in the headquarters in Curitiba, Brazil October 1, 2019. BRF reported a 262 million real ($53.37 million) net loss in the third quarter, larger than the 136.7 million loss a year ago but slightly better than an LSEG consensus forecast of a 279 million real loss. Despite the hit, BRF said improvements in the company's operating performance were already showing results. BRF also said net revenue was 13.8 billion reais in the quarter, nearly the same as in the year-ago period. BRF said EBITDA came in at 1.2 billion reais ($244.45 million), slightly above LSEG consensus estimates of 1.17 billion reais.

Persons: Rodolfo Buhrer, BRF, Miguel Gularte, EBITDA, Ana Mano, Kylie Madry Organizations: meatpacker BRF, REUTERS, SAO PAULO, BRF SA, Management, JBS SA, Thomson Locations: Curitiba, Brazil, U.S

☆ US reduces beef exports as cattle herd shrinks, squeezing Tyson Foods
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The decline in cattle numbers, after years of drought fried pasture lands used for grazing, led to soaring U.S. beef prices. Higher prices incentivize companies to import cheaper beef and discourage U.S. beef purchases by buyers like China, Japan and Egypt. For Tyson, the loss of U.S. export business compounds margin pressure from higher cattle prices, Goldman Sachs analysts said. U.S. beef exports typically command higher margins than domestic shipments, they said. The USDA on Thursday raised its forecasts for beef imports in 2023 and 2024 in a monthly report.

Persons: Amira Karaoud, world's, Tyson, Cargill, Pete Bonds, Bonds, Goldman Sachs, Donnie King, Katelyn McCullock, McCullock, Derrell, Tom Polansek, Rod Nickel Organizations: Corydon , Indiana U.S, REUTERS, Rights, Tyson, U.S . Department of Agriculture, USDA, U.S ., U.S, Marketing, Center, Oklahoma State University, Thomson Locations: Corydon , Indiana, United States, China, Japan, Egypt, Texas, U.S, Tyson's, Florida, South Carolina, Australia, New Zealand, Paraguay, Paraguayan, Mexico

☆ Department of Labor opens investigation into Perdue, Tyson
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Earlier this year, the federal government committed to ratcheting up efforts to root out child labor law violations. “There are currently [Wage and Hour Division] investigations open at Perdue and Tyson Foods,” a Department of Labor spokesperson told CNN. “We are conducting a comprehensive third-party audit of child labor prevention and protection procedures including a compliance audit of contractors,” she said. Government agencies have joined together this year to fight child labor law violations, which often impact migrant children. In February, the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services jointly announced the creation of a task force designed to fight child labor exploitation.

Persons: Perdue, Tyson, “, Perdue “, Andrea Staub, ” Staub, Josh Hawley, Donnie King, ” Marty Walsh, Walsh, ”, Maruf, Nicole Goodkind Organizations: New, New York CNN, Department of Labor, Tyson Foods, New York Times, Perdue, ”, CNN, Times Magazine, Times, of Labor, Health, Human Services, Packers Sanitation Services, Cargill, Packers Sanitation Locations: New York, Perdue, Virginia, Tyson, Missouri

☆ Brazilian farmer's giant rooster hobby hatches into profitable business
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] FILE PHOTO-Agronomist Rubens Braz poses with his Giant Indian Urubu rooster named Galalau at the Avicultura Gigante, which breeds giant roosters for small-scale meat production and ornamental purposes, in Formosa, Goias State, Brazil September 1, 2023. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRASILIA, Sept 13 (Reuters) - When farmer Rubens Braz started breeding Brazilian chickens, he had no idea how big the operation - or the birds - would get. Some twenty years later, he now raises giant roosters for small-scale farming and hobby purposes in central Brazil and is making a living from surging sales across the country. His birds, called "Giant Indian Roosters," can grow over 120 centimeters (47 inches) tall. As the global avian flu crisis has put a damper on business this year, limiting the transport of live animals in Brazil, Braz said he has focused on supplying fertilized eggs to nearby farmers.

Persons: Rubens Braz, Gigante, Ueslei Marcelino, Braz, Avicultura Gigante, Isadora Machado, Ana Mano, Brad Haynes, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: roosters, REUTERS, Rights, Indian Roosters, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Formosa, Goias State, Brazil, Rights BRASILIA, Goias

☆ Illegal child labor on the rise with nationwide violations found, Labor Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

JBS has said that they do not tolerate child labor and that they would stop using PSSI at every location where the child labor violations were alleged to have occurred. In addition, the Wage and Hour Division of the Labor Department is currently pursuing more than 700 open child labor cases. Officials at the Labor Department emphasized in a press call this week that the increase in child labor violation findings is partially due to “significantly enhanced child labor enforcement efforts” in recent months. The fight to weaken child labor lawsThe Department of Labor on Thursday said its interagency task force on child labor has begun cross-training with other governmental agencies like Health and Human Services and the Office of Refugee Resettlement to identify and report possible incidences of child labor exploitation. But at the same time that violations of child labor protections are rising, states across the country are introducing legislation to weaken child labor laws.

Persons: it’s, ”, Labor Julie Su, Jordan Barab, Obama, Barab, JBS, Cargill, ” PSSI, PSSI, “, That’s, DOL, Karen Garnett, Tiffanie Boyd, there’s, David Weil, Weil, Jaehoon, Jay, Chang, ” McDonald’s, they’re, Biden, Sen, Rich Draheim, “ That’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Labor Department, Packers Sanitation Services Inc, Cargill, JBS, Department of Labor, Labor, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, PSSI, Blackstone Group, CNN, McDonald’s, of, “ Employers, Heller School for Social Policy, Management, Brandeis University, Hyundai, Kia, Health, Human Services, Refugee Resettlement, US Department of Agriculture, Economic, Institute, Minnesota, Republican Locations: New York, Nebraska, JBS USA, Minnesota, Louisiana, Texas, Louisville , Kentucky, McDonald’s, United States, DOL, Alabama, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Missouri , Ohio, South Dakota, Arkansas, Iowa, America

☆ More states want to let kids work as bartenders
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —More states are letting teenagers serve alcohol at bars and restaurants, part of a growing rollback of child labor protection laws across the United States. The restaurant industry already has the highest number of child labor law violations, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Efforts to lower alcohol serving ages are part of a larger push to loosen child labor protections in states around the country. Federal laws providing minimum protections for child labor were enacted nearly a century ago. But in the past two years, at least 14 states have introduced or passed laws rolling back child labor protections, the Economic Policy Institute reports.

Persons: Alabama —, ”, Nina Mast, Cargill, Tyson, Joe Biden’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Economic Policy Institute, National Restaurant Association, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic, Institute, “, US Department of Labor, Packers Sanitation Services, JBS, New York Times Locations: New York, United States, — Iowa, Michigan , Ohio , Kentucky, West Virginia, New Mexico, Alabama, Wisconsin, Idaho, Arkansas

☆ Brazilian union sues JBS over alleged exploitation of chicken workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Their shifts lasted up to 14 hours including the journey to and from the hen houses, said union leader Sergio Bolzan in a telephone interview. JBS is a primary defendant and four outsourcing companies are co-defendants in the suit, documents show. The suit claims workers did not get enough rest time, were not fully paid upon dismissal and did not get extra pay for performing hazardous work. Bolzan said evidence of alleged exploitation surfaced in April when he paid a surprise visit to where some catchers were being housed to document the conditions. Bolzan shared his concerns with labor prosecutors, who confirmed preliminary investigations into the matter, including whether catchers were employed "off the books."

Persons: Sergio Bolzan, JBS, Bolzan, Ana Mano, Brad Haynes, Mark Potter Organizations: SAO PAULO, JBS SA, Thomson Locations: Sidrolandia, Mato Grosso, Sul

☆ Brazilian Meatpacker JBS to Pursue U.S. Listing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Patrick Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Opinion: Lab-grown meat is an expensive distraction from reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Alice Driver | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Lab-grown meat, also known as cultured or cultivated meat, costs about $17 a pound, making it unaffordable for most consumers. Lab-grown meat has more in common with meat produced at a slaughterhouse than you might think. Some critics of the meatpacking industry have gotten excited about the idea of lab-grown meat as an alternative to Big Chicken. Tyson Foods, the largest meatpacking company in the US, was an early investor in the plant-based meat company Beyond Meat and has put money in Upside Foods. Before celebrating cultured meat as a victory for anyone, surely more studies are needed to explore this point further.

Persons: Alice Driver, James Beard, Alice Driver Alice Driver, restauranteur, ” Andrés, Dominique Crenn, Andres ’, Cargill, Tyson, “ We’ve, David Humbird, Humbird, Davis Organizations: American Worker, CNN, CNN —, Tyson Foods, Foods, JBS, McKinsey & Company, Twitter, University of California, Biotechnology, Food Institute, Big Tech Locations: Little Rock , Arkansas, United States, China, Washington ,, San Francisco, Berkeley

☆ US chicken producers ordered to face price-fixing claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | Industry Insight | Corporate Attorneys Don T Want To Pay Law Firms For Chatgpt When They Could Use It Themselves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Tyson Chicken Nuggets, owned by Tyson Foods, are seen for sale in Queens, New York, U.S., November 16, 2021. Restaurants, supermarkets, distributors and consumers have accused chicken producers of having conspired starting in 2008 to inflate prices, through tactics such as restricting production and sharing nonpublic data about supply and demand. But the judge also narrowed the case to cover alleged "anomalous decreases in broiler production" in 2008-2009 and 2011-2012. Pilgrim's Pride, Sanderson and Tyson did not immediately respond to requests for comment after market hours. The case is In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, No.

Persons: Tyson, Andrew Kelly, Pilgrim's, Sanderson, District Judge Thomas Durkin, Durkin, Perdue, Brazil's, Jonathan Stempel, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Nuggets, Tyson Foods, REUTERS, District, Georgia Dock, Agri Stats, Brazil's JBS SA, Antitrust Litigation, Court, Northern District of, Thomson Locations: Queens , New York, U.S, Chicago, Northern District, Northern District of Illinois, New York

☆ Opinion | America Has a Chance to Make Farming More Climate Friendly
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Robert B. Semple Jr. | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

Why, when we think of climate change, do we think of big oil, not big ag; Exxon and not Tyson? It’s time you met the big ag lobby, one of the most powerful influences on policy in America. But when we started digging into the big ag lobby, we discovered it’s basically — “The most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. So the big ag lobby has one key aim — block environmental regulation. I absolutely envy how good these lobbyists are at their job.” It’s outrageous what the big ag lobby has gotten away with.

Persons: “, Peter Lehner, He’s, I’m, It’s, Tyson, Jennifer Jacquet, She’s, Peter, she’s, ”, Zippy Duvall, “ —, John Boehner, —, You’ve, Waxman, Markey, Obama, American Farm Bureau Federation didn’t, ” —, JBS, don’t, they’re, Chuck Schumer, Cory Booker, I’ve, they’ve Organizations: Agriculture, ExxonMobil, Shell, Exxon, Washington , D.C, American Farm Bureau Federation, Capitol, U.S . Farmers, Tyson, New York Times, Republican, Senate’s Agriculture, pharma Locations: America, United States, Lake Erie, U.S, China, Washington ,, Kyoto, Senate’s

☆ Brazil poultry lobby sees little risk of nationwide export ban over bird flu
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Slideshow ( 4 images )Ricardo Santin, head of a group representing firms like JBS and BRF, told Reuters the agreements with trade partners should limit any export restrictions to smaller geographic regions. Still, the details of a 2004 bilateral sanitary protocol with China, Brazil’s top chicken buyer last year, could spell some pain for exporters. WOAH outlines best practices for “zoning” and compartmentalizing HPAI infection to specific areas at risk in order to ease nation-wide restrictions, allowing countries to continue to sell and export of poultry. The U.S., which competes with Brazil in poultry export markets, had HPAI outbreaks but continued to ship products. Still, total poultry meat exports rose 3% by volume and 14% by value, as revised trade agreements limited trade restrictions compared with a previous record U.S. bird flu outbreak in 2015.

Persons: Ricardo Santin, Santin, HPAI, WOAH Organizations: SAO PAULO, Reuters, World Organization for Animal Health Locations: China, Beijing, Brasilia, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, U.S

☆ US meatpacker JBS opens cleaning unit after outside firm fined for hiring kids
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The new company, JBS Sanitation, will "immediately begin the transition" to cleaning 10 JBS USA facilities, which produce beef and pork, according to a statement issued this week. JBS Sanitation will also do in-house cleaning for Pilgrim's Pride Corp (PPC.O) and create "hundreds of union jobs," the statement said. JBS USA is the North American unit of Brazil's JBS SA (JBSS3.SA), which also owns most of Pilgrim's Pride. JBS USA did not immediately respond to questions about the costs of the launch on Thursday. JBS USA previously said it terminated contracts with PSSI at "numerous" facilities, including three plants where alleged child-labor violations occurred.

Federal worker safety inspections have alleged poor maintenance or a lack of safety training at some Tyson plants where ammonia leaks injured workers. CNN interviewed eleven current or former Tyson workers across three different plants who experienced ammonia leaks. !”A safety sign hangs on a fence at a Tyson plant in Hope, Arkansas, in March 2023. Still, some Tyson workers who lived through ammonia leaks said they wished more had been done to protect them. That means that the data doesn’t necessarily cover Tyson plants or other meat facilities that hold smaller amounts of ammonia.

☆ Shrinking US cattle herd squeezes meatpacker profits
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Cargill, the world's largest ground beef producer, expects cattle prices will rise further, but it is still a question whether higher beef prices will ruin consumers' appetites, company executives said. Big profits for meatpackers during the pandemic and soaring beef prices fueled concerns in the Biden administration about consolidation and profiteering in the sector. The companies say supply and demand determine cattle and beef prices. In 2023, "the cattle feeder can negotiate more of the consumer dollar," said Brett Gottsch, managing partner Gottsch Cattle Co, which raises cattle in Nebraska. Gottsch remains concerned about a lack of competition among meatpackers, though others said surging cattle prices show the market works.

The timeline shows the challenges of quickly finding and implementing replacements for Packers Sanitation Services Inc (PSSI), which provides cleaning services at slaughterhouses. "We made the decision to terminate the agreements with PSSI," Hans Kabat, who leads Cargill's protein business in North America, told Reuters. Cargill said it notified PSSI in March that it was terminating services at a beef plant in Dodge City, Kansas, and then followed with all PSSI's sanitation contracts. One of the largest penalties stemmed from PSSI's contracts at Cargill's plant in Dodge City. Cargill, the world's largest ground beef producer, is reviewing options for cleaning plants, Kabat said.

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