JBS- Canning More Americans

Some of you may be familiar with the Brazilian company JBS S.A. and the fact that it IS the biggest meat packer in the world and recently was allowed to purchase Pilgrim's Pride here in the US. They went into business with the Brazilian government (again) and sold their debentures on the stock exchange to pay for Pilgrim's Pride. A few months ago, when the purchase was completed, they laid off a bunch of workers from the company. Now they are closing the company headquarters in Pittsburg, Texas and dismissing more Americans. They will be centralizing their administrative efforts on this continent in their offices in Greeley, Colorado.

This may not seem substantial, but it truly is.

The fact of the matter is that JBS now is taking over Australia, the US, and I heard Russia in the meat sector. As a multi national corporation, they are interested in the bottom line, and that's really all. They don't have nationalities and loyalties as a corporation. The fact that Tyson recently stated their plans to open a facility in Argentina as opposed to the US because they can hire people for total overal costs of $3 per hour there as opposed to $15 per hour here should spark one's thinking. If we end up off-shoring all of agriculture, we will eventually be in the position of easily being starved out here.

Already 65% of produce is imported along with 80% of seafood. The official numbers indicate approximately 70% of our food is imported.

Remember kids, No Farmers, No Food.

We are losing our ability to produce anything except hot air here due to free trade, agency regulatory actions, lack of access to markets, too many constraints on direct trade, and failure to enforce the laws regarding anti-trust and monopolies on the part of the agencies charged with those enforcements.

This action by JBS (canning employees) was not unanticipated, but it is yet another blow to our ability to provide for ourselves. Wait until they move 70% of the production out of the country. Then we'll have some real fun.

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Industry News - PM
Pilgrim’s Pride to close HQ, Atlanta offices; plans layoffs

By Lisa M. Keefe on 4/12/2010

Pilgrim's Pride Corp. announced Monday that it will close its corporate headquarters building in East Texas and a satellite corporate office in Atlanta, resulting in total layoffs of 213 employees. Both offices are expected to close within about 60 days.

Many Pilgrim's Pride employees at the two corporate offices have been offered positions elsewhere in the company. Still, the company expects to eliminate 158 jobs at its headquarters in Pittsburg, Texas, and 55 jobs in Atlanta. Layoffs are expected to begin in mid-June.

The closings are billed as part of the company's ongoing integration with JBS USA, which assumed a majority stake in the poultry processor at the end of 2009. Those offices' functions are being moved to JBS USA's headquarters in Greeley, Colo.

The announcement comes three months after Pilgrim's Pride laid off 230 people from offices in Texas, Atlanta and Virginia. (See Pilgrim's Pride cuts 230 jobs as JBS takes over, on Meatingplace, Jan. 5, 2010.)

None of the jobs to be eliminated in June are production-related, and the processing facilities and operations will not be affected.

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