A group of American ranchers say they want a corruption investigation into JBS, the world’s largest meatpacking company, which has processing plants across the Midwest/Great Plains.
JBS recently agreed to pay a $3 billion fine after revelations that executives were bribing government officials in Brazil.
Though there is no evidence of wrongdoing in the U.S., Bill Bullard of the American rancher group R-CALF is asking the Trump administration for an investigation of the company’s practices here.
“It begs the question if they’d done this around the world, why wouldn’t they deploy it here in the United States? That’s why the investigation is so necessary,” Bullard says.
JBS first entered the U.S. market in 2007, with its purchase of a large beef and pork processor. After buying up smaller meat companies, it is now the world’s largest producer of beef, chicken and leather.
The U.S. subsidiary of JBS has yet to respond to requests for comment.